Behind Violet Eyes
by Chibi Binasu-chan
Summary: Kamiya Kaoru is a brilliant dancer, but in order to get back at her ex-boyfriend Enishi Yukishiro, she has to hang with a nerd. Then she creates a robot who is perfect for her. What happens if he's real? - VERY OLD! Kept up for sentimental reasons only! -
1. Chapter One

Author's Notes: Hello minna-sama!!! Believe it or not, I came up with this story in a dream. Yes. . . In a dream. ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please tell me what you think minna-sama!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
`~Behind Violet Eyes`~  
  
It was a warm, summer evening when the dance class began to take session. Kamiya Kaoru smiled as she walked into rehearsal. Her raven black hair swished behind her, and she was wearing a beautiful dress made with a golden top, sparkling bright in the lights, with black spiraling towards the bottom.  
  
Black high heels tapped loudly as she walked over to her dance partner.  
  
"Well Sanosuke? Are we going to do this or not?" Kaoru asked, a bit more snobbishly then usual. The reason?  
  
Her partner, Sanosuke Sagara, was horrible at dancing. Kaoru loved to dance, it was her life!  
  
Sanosuke on the other hand, liked fighting much more. He smiled at her, dressed all in black. He took Kaoru's hand, a bit aggressively.  
  
"Sure thing, Jou-chan!!!" he paused, and said a little jokingly, "I mean. . . Koishi darling."  
  
Kaoru pasted on a fake smile. The only reason she was with Sanosuke was to get back at her ex-boyfriend, Enishi Yukishiro, and Enishi absolutely hated Sanosuke.  
  
She waited for the music to start. Other's were around them, ready to dance also. They were all practicing for the competition.  
  
Music began, almost tango-like, and Kaoru waited for Sanosuke to begin leading. Sanosuke did as he was told to do, and like always, nearly stepped on her foot!  
  
The dance wasn't that hard, and Kaoru danced beautifully. Sanosuke meanwhile was zoning out.  
  
The room filled with a shriek of pain, coming from? Like always, from Kaoru. Sanosuke had stepped right onto her foot, once more.  
  
Kaoru sat down on the side lines, holding onto her foot and biting back the tears stinging her eyes. She took off her shoes and rubbed her foot.  
  
Sanosuke meanwhile ran over to her, while everybody else just continued dancing, paying no attention and pretending that was normal.  
  
"I'm really really really sorry!!! Oh Kaoru I'm so sorry!!" he cried.  
  
Kaoru let the tears streak down her cheeks. "You don't understand Sano!!! You really don't!!! Why can't you learn to dance?? Don't you understand that dancing is my life!!! If you don't dance, you aren't in my life!!!"  
  
Kaoru ran out of the dance club, into her car and drove away. She regretted it, knowing that she hurt Sanosuke's feelings pretty bad. He WAS really sorry and all. . .  
  
Kaoru sighed. She had to find the perfect man. The perfect man who could dance, be funny, and most importantly, love her for who she was!!!  
  
But she knew there was no human man like this. Kaoru sighed once more. She'd never find the right man because there was none.  
  
Nobody was perfect and she knew that. But still, somebody who could dance!!!  
  
. . .Anybody. . .  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey there Kaoru!! How was dance class???" asked Kaoru's best friend, Misao Makimachi, later on that night when Kaoru got to her apartment which she shared with Misao.  
  
Misao's long raven hair was braided behind her and she liked to use it as a whip sometimes.  
  
She was dressed in her usual ninja-like training suit and she had a bright smile on her face, like always. Misao was a VERY bright person.  
  
Kaoru frowned at her. "Sanosuke stepped on my foot again. . ."  
  
"Oh dear. . ."  
  
"And how is your Aoshi-'sama'????" Kaoru asked, teasingly. She watched, highly amused as Misao looked her way, with that devil like smile slapped on her face.  
  
"He's JUST fine. . ."  
  
"Cold as ever?"  
  
"Oh Kaoru!"  
  
"What??? I wouldn't want him for a boyfriend if I was you. He's too cold-"  
  
"He's manly! And handsome!"  
  
"Maybe handsome but he's TOO manly if you asked me-"  
  
"KAORU!!!!!!"  
  
Kaoru just laughed and headed over to her room. "Goodnight Misao- chan!!!" she heard Misao grumble something about stupid room-mates who don't respect the other's boyfriend. She giggled.  
  
Laying down in bed, Kaoru tried to think of what her perfect man would be. She smiled and thought to herself, 'Red hair is always good! He'll be an excellent dancer, musician, fighter; maybe in sword! Uhhh. . .Not too tall like Sanosuke. . .' she continued to think.  
  
'He'd be so nice!!! And generous, and polite. He'd be willing to risk his life for mine!!! He'd be funny and humorous!!!. . .Very talented and well respected and believed a suitable young man. Around the age of twenty eight, since I'm twenty two right now. . .and his eyes would be. . .Oh what color it please lord!'  
  
Kaoru fell asleep to the thought of her dream man's eye's color being violet.  
  
~*~  
  
It was in the middle of the night when it was raining and thunder was heard up above, Kaoru woke up suddenly. She had had a dream of her dream man, and it was very scary.  
  
She had been making a robot of him. Gave him everything a real man would. Everything. Personality, beliefs, talents, knowledge, and body. He looked just like what she had thought him to be.  
  
Kaoru shuddered at the thought. He was very handsome, but making a robot come to life was just freaky!!! It was the twenty first century for pete's sake!!!  
  
But Kaoru wondered: Could she do that in real life??? Kaoru giggled. It would be funny. He'd look so real!! He'd be a GREAT dance partner!!! Kaoru made up her mind.  
  
She was going to try creating a robot.  
  
It all started with her getting the parts. Misao worked as a hair- cutter, so hair wasn't a problem. Kaoru got a lot of red hair. She made the clothes with the fabric she had. She made him have kind of old fashion clothes. He would be wearing black pants, black shoes, and a pink, or maybe it was magenta(?) shirt.  
  
Kaoru giggled at the thought. She was making a robot!! How silly was that??? As if it would work!  
  
~*~  
  
It had been about three days later when Kaoru had all her pieces to build her robot. Kaoru smiled, "Finally!! At last!!! I can put him together!!"  
  
Kaoru had to go over to a mad scientist known as Hiko Seijiro. He helped her with the brain and programming stuff. Kaoru found why Hiko was known as mad.  
  
He was VERY crazy.  
  
Kaoru finally got everything finished. Nobody but herself and Hiko knew about this. Not even Misao or Sanosuke or Aoshi. It was midnight once more, three nights after she had started on her creation.  
  
The robot was lying on the floor of her room, eyes closed. He looked exactly like her dream, and he was just perfect, looking like a real human being.  
  
Kaoru smiled. She took a remote, took a deep breath and pressed the on switch. When she saw the robot's eyes moving around, she smashed the remote so he would never be turned off.  
  
His eyes opened up wide, and blinked several times. He looked at Kaoru, questioningly. Kaoru smiled, feeling tears coming to her since her creation worked.  
  
"I'll name you. . . .Kenshin."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Well?? What do you think? It's kinda crazy, I know, but it gets MUCH better!!! Believe me!!! It's my first angsty fic so please no flames!!! * wimper * REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Be nice minna-sama and click that button!!!!!! 


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Notes: Oh my gosh, I am SO glad everybody is liking this so far!!! T_T heheheheh. . . I first imagined this story with Fushigi Yugi; if anybody has heard of it, with Tamahome as the robot. But then I thought, "Nahhh. . . Kenshin would be MUCH better!" hence, here is my story.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
Ummm. . . You may be wondering but . . . Here's the examples!  
  
( ) = Battousai [ ] = Rurouni  
  
On with the story!!!  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Kaoru smiled, ". . .Kenshin? Tell me how you feel." She waited, very excited for her 'Mr. Perfect' to reply to her. She awaited the sound of his beautiful, honey crisp voice to sooth her nightmares away from her.  
  
"Who are you?" came the question, as cold as ice.  
  
Kaoru gasped. 'That wasn't supposed to happen. . .I designed him to be nice and kind and gentle, not rude and mean and cold!!!'  
  
"Em. . . I'm Kaoru Kamiya." She said, awaiting the reply her beautiful robot would say.  
  
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Okay. . .Kaoru." he seemed to taste how the name sounded from his lips, and then appeared to think it was alright. "And who am I?" he asked, just a little bit more softer then before.  
  
Kaoru smiled as brightly as she could, "Kenshin! Kenshin. . ." she thought up a last name. She couldn't think of anything when it suddenly popped into her head. "Kenshin . . .Himura!!! Yah that's it, Kenshin Himura."  
  
Kenshin raised the other eyebrow, then he stood up and sighed, "Right. . ." he began to walk towards the door.  
  
"Hey wait a second!!!" Kaoru grabbed his neck-collar.  
  
"NANI?!?!?"  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Just WHERE do you think you're going??? I programmed you to be a gentleman!!! You know the whole history of Japan, as well as other countries, AND everything you'd learn in high-school!!! Where are your manners???"  
  
"Let go of me, woman!" Kenshin hissed. It was right then that Kaoru noticed his eyes had turned to amber.  
  
'That's strange. . . I didn't program them to do THAT. . .' she thought.  
  
Kenshin whipped himself from Kaoru's grasp. "I suppose I am to believe that you created me. . .Well then tell me THIS. What is the reason I was brought to this world?" he asked, nearly desperately.  
  
Kaoru looked down. How would she tell him she only brought him to this world so he could dance with her. "Ummm. . ." she whispered.  
  
Kenshin got the picture. "You don't really know do you? Just an experiment, aren't I?" he spat on the ground. "Fine. I'll find something to do that doesn't have anything to do with YOU." He slammed the door in her face.  
  
Kaoru felt the tears stinging her eyes. That's when she got an idea. She remembered how he had cried out, "NANI???" so suddenly. It meant he DID have a weakness!!! 'But why oh why did I ever smash that off button?????' Kaoru screamed mentally.  
  
That's when she heard voices.  
  
"HEY!!!!!!! How did YOU get in here?????" came the scream from Misao.  
  
"How did YOU get in here?" came the scream from Kenshin.  
  
"I LIVE here!!!!!" Misao screamed.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Kaoru rushed outside and went to Misao's side, who was in her pajama's with no longer sleepy eyes. "Don't worry Misao!!! This is Kenshin!!!. . . He's a . . .Friend of mine. . ."  
  
Misao raised her eyebrows and whispered, "I can't believe you sneaked a GUY in here!!!! Kaoru-chan you hit the jack-pot THIS time!!!"  
  
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "I'm NOT in love with him!!!" she hissed back.  
  
Misao raised the other eyebrow. "Okay then, why was he in your room?" she asked.  
  
Kaoru turned to her, "How did you know???" then it hit her, "Were you spying on me again?"  
  
Misao grinned, evilly.  
  
"What did you see??? Tell me Misao Makimachi or you'll regret you spied on us!!!" Kaoru gritted her teeth.  
  
Misao continued to grin. "All I saw was him and you standing up and then him slamming the door in your face!" then her face turned sober. "Did he dump you???" without waiting for an answer she cried, "Oh Kaoru-chan!!! Not again!!! You're SO a jinx!!! This is the second time in one month!!!"  
  
Kaoru frowned, "He didn't dump me!!! We were never together!!! You don't understand!"  
  
"Oh Kaoru. . . There you go lying about your troubles again. . ."  
  
"MISAO!!!"  
  
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. [Okay. . . I'm a little worried about the future here!!!] cried a gentle voice in his head.  
  
(Oh shut up!!! I think this is interesting!!! And just look at that girl Kaoru!!! Huba huba huba. . .) cried a more blunt and rude side of Kenshin inside his head.  
  
[You pervert!!!] then he added quickly, [. . . De gozaru yo.]  
  
(What a wuss. . . Can't even see a good time if it was right in front of his nose!!!) laughed the rude side.  
  
Kenshin looked around himself. 'That was inside me??? WEIRD!!! I don't think Kaoru programmed me to do that!!!' he thought.  
  
(Scary to think we're one person. . .hmmmm. . .)  
  
Kaoru looked back over to Kenshin, who looked very odd. He had at one time, a confused look, then an angry look, then a sad look, then a happy look, then a VERY domineering look, and so on and so forth.  
  
"Uhhh. . . Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin snapped out of his daze. "What? Oh. . ." he looked around a bit more, then put his most coldest look on his face. "Okay, I've got an idea!!!" he said happily. Then very confused sounding, "I'm gonna get outa here. . ."  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Oh NO YOU DON'T!!!" she grabbed Kenshin by the collar again. "You are staying here with ME!"  
  
Misao smiled, "Very possessive, aren't we?"  
  
"Shut up Misao!"  
  
Kenshin tried to get out of Kaoru's reach once more. "Let go of me woman!!!" he hissed, like before. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something in the shadows move.  
  
Kenshin stopped struggling and looked around, his eyes narrow and a blue color.  
  
"What is it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Kenshin looked around the room once more. "There's somebody else in here other then the three of us. . ." he said.  
  
His eyes widened as he saw something shinning silver in the shadows. 'A sword. . .' he thought.  
  
[Oh dear!!! What about Misao-dono and Kaoru-dono!!! They might get hurt!!!] he looked around. [WE might get hurt!!!]  
  
The rude side rolled his eyes. (Oh please. . .Swords are easy to handle!!!)  
  
[Anooo. . . But sessha doesn't know how to use a sword!]  
  
(Oh yah. . .)  
  
Kaoru unconsciously moved closer to Kenshin. 'This isn't good. I can't remember if I programmed Kenshin to be a master of swords!! I know it was on my list. . .Aw man!!!'  
  
Misao smiled, giddily. "Well Kaoru, I'm tired!!! I think I'll be going now. . . Hehehe eh. . . ." she slipped into her room and locked the door and window tight, with all the lights on.  
  
Kaoru rolled her eyes, 'Just like Misao. . . Unless she's got a weapon, she's outa there. . .'  
  
Kenshin narrowed his eyes even further. 'Where is that person????' he thought. He didn't have any kind of weapon; only his fists.  
  
The shadow moved again, and this time Kaoru saw it. She screamed in fear. Kaoru was a very strong person, but when it came to people lingering in the dark. . . Well. . . You'd get scared too, wouldn't you?  
  
A figure stepped out from the shadows. Kaoru saw the white hair, the tiny glasses, and the orange and blue suit. She frowned, and all fear was taken out of her. "Enishi!!! How did you get in here???"  
  
Enishi smiled, that evil smile he always has. "I had the spare keys. I came to get the rest of my stuff out, IF you don't mind. . ." he showed her the large box full of books in his hands.  
  
Kaoru gritted her teeth, and held out her hand. Enishi took it and kissed it. Kaoru slapped him hard on the cheek. "That's not what I meant Enishi!" she cried. Enishi just smiled and put the spare keys in her hands.  
  
"There. Happy? I'll be off now. . ." he walked out the door and slammed it behind him.  
  
Meanwhile, a VERY confused Kenshin stood there watching. 'I could've sworn he had a sword with him. . .' he thought.  
  
(Well if you ask me I think she should've slapped the guy a few more times!) the rude side made fists.  
  
[I thought he had a sword with him!] said the nice side.  
  
The rude side turned to look at his nice-twin. (What do we call you? And what do we call me? Is it really 'WE' or is it just 'ME'???)  
  
The nice side got swirly eyes. [ORO!!! You're confusing me!!!!] then he thought for a moment. [I can't faintly remember being called Rurouni, but I don't know when I was called that. Hey wait a minute, wasn't I just created like fifteen minutes ago?]  
  
The rude side thought for a moment, (If you're Rurouni, then I'm Battousai!!!) he laughed evilly.  
  
[Oro! What's Battousai mean?]  
  
(. . . . )  
  
[. . .]  
  
(I really have no idea.)  
  
[ORO!]  
  
Kaoru turned to see Kenshin having a conversation with himself once more. She raised an eyebrow. 'Something went wrong with his programming, that's for sure!' she thought.  
  
Kenshin walked over to her, a questioning look on his face.  
  
Kaoru sighed, "He's my ex-boyfriend, he used to live in here and yes I still have sort of a thing for him; does that answer your question???"  
  
". . .No actually I was wondering. . .Am I supposed to stay here?" Kenshin asked, the side of him who wished to be called 'Battousai' was taking over for a little.  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want to stay here."  
  
"Where ELSE can I be?" Kenshin asked, coldly, as if this place was pretty much the best thing out there, even though it was a dump, at least in his mind.  
  
Kaoru thought for a moment, then smiled. "Of course Kenshin!!! You can stay in Enishi's old room. We have a very spacious apartment here because of the money I make up of from dancing tornements!"  
  
Kenshin looked at her, ". . . You dance?"  
  
Kaoru smiled, "Yes I do."  
  
Kenshin almost smiled. "I know how to dance. . ."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update. I went on vacation to California to visit my great grandmother and was unable to update. ^_^; Please tell me what you think about my dear little Ken-san. . . I have fun torturing him. Buwa . . . buwahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!! 


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Notes: Okay, by popular vote, I changed the settings to make this story a Humor/Drama story!!! Y'know, I try and I try to make an Angsty fic, but NO! All I can write is Humor!!! Guess I'm just a comedian aren't I? ^__^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!!!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Kenshin sighed as he stared at the ceiling of his new room. It was a comfy little room, filled with a futon, a shelf of old Japanese books, a desk with a lamp, a note-book and a pencil.  
  
Kenshin wondered, 'Just what is my purpose on this world???' the thought rang through his head dozens and dozens of times. It was morning already, and the girls had already gone to sleep.  
  
Since Kenshin couldn't come up with the answer to his last question, he decided to think up a new question. 'What was up with that Enishi guy? He gave me the creeps. . .'  
  
[Hai, that he did!!!] Rurouni cried. He protected his head in fright as if there were monsters out to get him.  
  
(HA!!! You are SUCH a baby. There's nothing to be afraid of!!! He's just a little suspicious. . .) Battousai said, still not knowing the meaning of the word 'Battousai'.  
  
[Sessha is NOT a baby, de gozaru yo!] Rurouni protected himself.  
  
(Uh huh. . . Sure. . .)  
  
That's when there was a knock at the door. Kenshin turned to see Kaoru poking her head in. "Come in."  
  
Kaoru slowly walked in. 'Geesh. . . This is SO weird!!! I make a robot, and suddenly he's acting like a real person; when he's NOT. . .' Kaoru's train of thoughts pretty much directed in that area.  
  
"Yes? What is it??? It must be three in the morning. . ." Kenshin said, very roughly.  
  
Kaoru frowned. "I wanted to tell you something Kenshin!!! Even though you ARE a robot with a BAD attitude and you refuse to be my servant, that doesn't mean you have to act like I'm some kind of criminal!!!"  
  
Kenshin raised an eyebrow at her bossiness. 'Oh well that must be Kaoru. . .'  
  
(Now just to get inside of that thick-headed-bad-attitude of her's and get to the real Kaoru. . . But for right now the outside looks pretty fine. . .)  
  
[You shouldn't speak of Kaoru-dono like that!!!] Rurouni scolded. [You are a robot, she is a human!!! You don't deserve her!!!]  
  
Battousai snorted. (Fine. BE that way. . .)  
  
Kenshin turned back to look at the ceiling. "Okay, so maybe I was acting a little snobby. . ."  
  
"A little snobby?!?!?!?!? KENSHIN!!!! You are SUCH a spoiled brat!!! You think the world just isn't good enough for you, don't you???" Kaoru yelled. She put a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had just said.  
  
Kenshin sat up from the futon, eyes amber. "Listen to ME, woman!!! Disrespect me, and I'll disrespect you!!! I'll behave well if you behave well, ect ect."  
  
Kaoru frowned, thought about it, then smiled, "Alright. Let's call a truce, shall we?"  
  
Kenshin didn't respond.  
  
"Hello??? Earth to Kenshin!!!"  
  
"Now I didn't say 'call a truce'. I said respect." Kenshin said, eyes closed and head down.  
  
Kaoru growled in irritation. "This is NOT good!!! I wanted the perfect man for me, but all I got. . ."  
  
"Was this stupid t-shirt???" Kenshin asked very suddenly and out of no-where.  
  
Kaoru growled once more, "NO!!! But all I got was an idiot who is almost exactly like my ex-boyfriend!!!"  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"You're an idiot!!!" Kaoru stormed out of the room, went to her own, sat down on the futon and started to sob very loudly.  
  
Kenshin just watched her go. Part of him was highly amused that she would even care, and another part of him was sad that she had called him an idiot. Not that he was offended, he just. . . wished she thought more highly of him.  
  
[I'm sure you do, de gozaru yo. . .] Rurouni snorted.  
  
Meanwhile, Battousai was just grinning off into the distants.  
  
[I'm not going to ask.]  
  
(You know. . . I really like Kaoru. She's strong. . . brave. . . to confront me like that. . .Heheh. . .She's beautiful, talented at dancing it sure sounds like. . . Geesh!!! She's the woman of my dreams!!!)  
  
Rurouni thought on this. [Well. . . Sessha HAS been very rude to Kaoru-dono. . .]  
  
Battousai grinned. (So do ya like her???)  
  
Rurouni frowned, then smiled. [Hai, I think that I do. . .]  
  
Battousai grinned from ear to ear. (I think we should spice up this story a bit, don't you think?)  
  
[But it's only JUST begun!!!]  
  
(Well it's gonna be long so let's not waste anytime!!!)  
  
[. . . That doesn't make any sense. . .]  
  
(Oh shut up!!! Do you want to spice it up or not???)  
  
[ORO!]  
  
~*~  
  
It was the next day when Kaoru brought Kenshin out into the open world. Kaoru sighed as she walked beside Kenshin, walking down the streets of down-town Tokyo. "You see Kenshin? Isn't it great out in the open air?" she asked, trying her best to forget last night.  
  
Kenshin nodded, though he couldn't really feel any of it. The wind felt good in his hair, and on his skin, but his skin wasn't real. Deep down inside, Kenshin felt very sad because of it.  
  
Misao walked on the other side of Kenshin, and she still had NO idea Kenshin was a robot. "So Kenshin. . . Where are you from?" she asked.  
  
Kenshin looked at her, "Tokyo."  
  
Misao smiled, "Where in Tokyo?"  
  
"Down-town."  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow. "Very blunt aren't we?"  
  
"I suppose. . ."  
  
Kaoru giggled.  
  
Misao frowned, "HEY!!! Are you Kaoru's boyfriend?"  
  
Kenshin turned to her, "If I was, would you be jealous?"  
  
Kaoru frowned also, "Misao you have a boyfriend already, so what ARE you talking about?"  
  
Misao sighed, then perked up once more. "And speaking of the man himself. . . Here he is!" she ran over to Aoshi, who was walking towards them. "Hey there Aoshi-sama, how are you today?"  
  
"Very fine, thank you Misao." Aoshi said, stiffly, but not as stiff as he usually was. C'mon, he's talking to his girlfriend here.  
  
Aoshi looked over Kenshin. Kenshin was very short, only a few inches taller then Kaoru, with bright red hair, violet eyes, a white hakama on with a pink gi and nearly purple socks. It was the twentieth century, so Kenshin looked JUST a little weird. . .  
  
[IT'S MAGENTA!!!!!!!!!!]  
  
(HA!)  
  
"Hello there Aoshi," Kaoru said. "Ehhh. . . This is Kenshin Himura, he's staying with us temporarily."  
  
Kenshin put out his hand, trying to act like the gentleman Kaoru expected him to be. (Ha ha. . . This'll get her attention to me. . .) Battousai laughed, evilly.  
  
Rurouni rolled his eyes. [Sessha still doesn't think we deserve Kaoru- dono. . .]  
  
(Who asked YOU???)  
  
[ORO!]  
  
Aoshi took Kenshin outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "Pleasure to meet you, Himura-san."  
  
Kenshin nodded, "And a pleasure to meet you, Shinomori-san."  
  
Kaoru smiled brightly. 'Hey. . . Maybe I DID program him right!!! He acts gentlemanly when he's respected well. . .Hmmm. . .' she thought.  
  
They all walked to the market where they bought some tofu and other foods. Kenshin looked at the ribbons, thinking just how pretty Kaoru would look in that pink one.  
  
(Ohohohoho!!! Kaoru would look GREAT in this!!) Battousai cried.  
  
Rurouni just frowned.  
  
Kenshin looked at the price of the ribbon and gaped. 'Aww man!!! It's way too much, I can't afford that!!!'  
  
Aoshi saw Kenshin's disappointed face and walked over to him. He handed him a handful of yen, which was enough to pay for the ribbon, and extremely out of character, Aoshi winked, then walked away.  
  
Kenshin nodded a thank you, and bought the ribbon. The old man behind the counter smiled, "For your wife?" he asked.  
  
Kenshin shook his head, ". . .No. . ."  
  
"Ahhh. . . Your girlfriend perhaps?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head once more.  
  
"Oh I see, for the young lady you're courting!"  
  
Kenshin thought of that for a moment, and just smiled, ". . .Something like that."  
  
The old man smiled back, brightly. "Here you are. Good luck be with you, young man, and be careful what you say, for women get offended quite easily. . ." he chuckled loudly and his large belly went up and down.  
  
Kenshin chuckled too. "Thank you!"  
  
[He was sure nice. . .] Rurouni said.  
  
(Yah well at least we got the ribbon!!!)  
  
[You are so weird. . .]  
  
(Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. . .)  
  
[. . .Oro. . .]  
  
Kenshin walked over to Kaoru, who was looking at kimono's. She had just bought a really pretty purple one with pink flowers all over it. Kenshin couldn't help but think how the ribbon he had just bought would match with it perfectly.  
  
"Oh Kenshin!!! I don't have enough money to buy the ribbon!!!" Kaoru whinned. She sighed, then she let it go. "Oh well. . ."  
  
Kenshin didn't say anything.  
  
Aoshi and Misao left Kenshin and Kaoru, because they were going out on a date. Kenshin and Kaoru bid them goodnight and walked home. Kenshin cooked dinner that night.  
  
Kaoru tasted the yummy food. "Wow Kenshin!!! I'm really glad I gave you good cooking talents. . ."  
  
Kenshin smiled. (Watch the pro!!!) Battousai snickered. Kenshin walked over to the stereo and turned on a Spanish sounding song. He looked over at Kaoru. "May I have this dance?" he asked.  
  
Kaoru smiled, stood up and walked over to him. "I'd love to."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: OKAY!!!!! I had fun writing the Battousai/Rurouni conversations, so I hope you have fun reading them. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! 


	4. Chapter Four

Author's Notes: Hello there everybody, I am SO sorry I haven't been updating very often. I swear it's not my fault!!! The stupid internet wouldn't work for two whole weeks because of a really bad wind storm. * sigh * REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama for being so patient with me.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Also, I don't own the song, "As Time Goes By" that's with the people who own Casablanca. You know. . . Humphry Bogart and all those people. . .ahem. . .  
  
On with the story!!!. . . Finally. . .  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Kenshin pulled Kaoru into his arms. He would have, had he been human, felt her warmth. But much to Kenshin's displeasure, he couldn't feel it. The music went from it's Spanish sounding to a slow and peaceful song. Kenshin and Kaoru started to sway to the music.  
  
"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh! The fundemental things apply, as time goes by. . ." the voice came, deep and manly from the stereo.  
  
Kenshin smiled. His robot insticts told him it was a romantic moment, but he didn't know how he knew that. He held in his sigh. Kaoru must have programmed him to be romantic. He felt like such a toy.  
  
(Oh yah. . . Go me. . . Go me. . . It's my birthday. . . Go me. . .) Battousai snickered.  
  
Rurouni rolled his eyes.  
  
Kenshin decided it was the right time to give her the ribbon she wanted. He let go of her for just a moment. He brought the gift toward Kaoru, and smiled at her.  
  
Kaoru opened the box. She gasped. "Oh Kenshin!!! You shouldn't have!!!" then she looked at him very sly. "What's the occasion?"  
  
Kenshin would have blushed, but since he was a robot, he couldn't do it. "Oh nothing' special I suppose. . ."  
  
(I just think you're really hot!!!) Battousai snickered for the hundredth time.  
  
Rurouni huffed, [You are such a pervert!!! Really. . . Why did Kaoru create you???]  
  
(I don't think she did. . .)  
  
[Oh. . .]  
  
Kaoru put the ribbon into her hair. "How's it look?" she watched the expression on Kenshin's face etch suprise. "What?"  
  
"You look lovely," came the answer.  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. 'Okay this is weird. One moment he hates me, the next he's crazy for me. God, why did I destroy his off button?????'  
  
Kenshin started to dance with Kaoru once more. He smiled at her. That's when he felt a different presence in the room. He hugged Kaoru tight to his chest. "There's somebody else in here. . ." he whispered.  
  
Kaoru looked around her, but all she could see was Kenshin's chest and shoulders. "Who's there, Kenshin?" she whispered back.  
  
Kenshin sniffed the air. 'Thank you for giving me awesome talents Kaoru. . .' he thought silently. He reconized the scent. He had only smelt it once before. Under his breath, he said with the utmost disgust, "Enishi. . ."  
  
A brilliant laugh came from somewhere in the apartment. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. You can't hide from me, Kaoru darling!"  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Go away Enishi!!! How did you get in here again???"  
  
"Who would be more stupid enough to leave their window open then Kaoru Kamiya?" came the answer from Enishi.  
  
Kenshin barked, "Go away you scum-bag!!! You're not welcome here!"  
  
"Ohohoho!!! A little grumpy today now are we?"  
  
"Come out of the shadows right now!" Kenshin was very angry.  
  
Enishi stepped out. "Hello." He saw Kaoru shudder at his voice. It was eerie, not the old Enishi she once knew.  
  
Kaoru stepped out of Kenshin's reach. "Go away Enishi!!! I never want to see you again!! You know that. After what you did. . ."  
  
"After what I did? What did I do?" came the leering response.  
  
"You. . . You killed my parents!!!" Kaoru yelled.  
  
Kenshin looked down at Kaoru. 'He killed her parents?' he wondered. He turned to Enishi and glared daggers at him.  
  
(Oooo. . . That's it. I'm kicking his. . .)  
  
[Ahem!] Rurouni cleared his throat. [This is supposed to be a story YOUNGER people can read!!!]  
  
Battousai sighed. (Yes MOM!) he joked.  
  
Kaoru's eyes were filled with tears. "You killed my parents. For that you will pay. No matter what I do, I will get back at you, Enishi Yukishiro!!!"  
  
Kenshin glared so hard at Enishi, that if looks could kill Enishi would be very much already dead. "No Kaoru. Let me handle him. He hurt you. Now I will hurt him."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! Somebody asked what Battousai really does mean, and I have this to say. It means that Kenshin knows all of the Batojutsu, a sword technique. It means he's mastered it. Hope that helps!!! Review and make Chibi happy! 


	5. Chapter Five

Author's Notes: Hello. I decided that since the last chapter was so short, I'd update again on the same day. Buwhahahahaah. . .ahem. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! My goal is for many reviews people. MANY!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Nor do I own the song "As Time Goes By". Don't hurt me!!!  
  
On with the story!!!. . . once more. . .  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Enishi smiled, "You? Hurt me?" he laughed. "How? You don't have any kind of weapon!!! You're a weakling, I can tell." He turned to Kaoru. "Geesh Kaoru. First that Sanosuke guy and now HIM!?"  
  
Kenshin frowned and turned to Kaoru. "Sanosuke guy?" he asked.  
  
Kaoru smiled weakly, "Eh heh. . . eh heh eh. . ."  
  
Kenshin shook it away for later to question about. Right now he knew he had to deal with Enishi. He looked around the room for any kind of weapon. He looked at the fireplace. On top of it, was an old looking sword. He grinned.  
  
Kenshin ran over to the fireplace, grabbed the sword, unsheathed it, and pointed it toward Enishi. "If you wish to taste the ground, feel free to attack." ((AN: Buwahahahaha ^_^))  
  
[What in the world do you think you're DOING???] Rurouni screamed.  
  
Battousai grinned. (Watch me.) It was then that he turned serious for once. (I can feel it. Somehow. . . I know that we know how to use this sword!!! Maybe that's what Battousai means. . .)  
  
Rurouni looked at him with half way closed eyes, giving the expression that he didn't believe Battousai. [Yah right.]  
  
(So what happened to you being all nice and goody goody?)  
  
[ORO!]  
  
Enishi laughed. "That worthless thing can't hurt me! Watch this!!!" He pulled out his own sword. It was a regular katana, Kenshin could tell.  
  
Kaoru backed away from Enishi and toward Kenshin. "Uhhhh. . . Kenshin?" she stuttered.  
  
"Don't worry Kaoru, we'll get out of this predicament." Kenshin smiled at her. He realized that the stereo was still playing.  
  
"And when two lovers woo, They still say I love you, Of that you can rely! No matter what the future brings, as time goes by." The stereo sang out loud and clear.  
  
Enishi looked disgusted. "Ew. I can't believe you listen to this stuff." He brought his sword up and put it right through the stereo. The last word you could hear was, "Goes-" Enishi smiled. "That's better."  
  
Kaoru winced. 'My stereo!!!' her inside yelled, but she realized it wasn't that big a deal. As long as she and Kenshin got out of here safely, the stereo didn't matter.  
  
Enishi pulled the sword out of the stereo and pointed it at Kenshin's heart; or where it should be. "I will kill you, you imposter!!! You don't deserve to be a human being, let at all live!!!"  
  
Kenshin frowned. 'He doesn't realize that I'm a robot. . .He thinks I'm human. I wonder what would happen if I really could die. . .'  
  
[If we really could die, we'd be DEAD de gozaru yo!!!] Rurouni sputtered, very scared of that katana Enishi was pointing towards him.  
  
Battousai grunted. (Thank Kaoru we can't die though. . .Right?)  
  
'I don't know. . .' Kenshin thought. 'But I mustn't let that Enishi freak get his hands on Kaoru.'  
  
(So protective now, aren't we?)  
  
[Oh look whose talking,] then he added quickly. [De gozaru yo.]  
  
Enishi charged with a strong yell. "KYAAA!!!" he thrust the sword toward Kenshin. Kaoru moved right out of the way very quickly, but Kenshin didn't move.  
  
Kenshin glared at Enishi, and Enishi's eyes widened when he saw Kenshin's eyes turn from violet to a hard core amber. 'But that doesn't matter,' Enishi thought, and he pushed his sword right through Kenshin's heart.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
* * * * * * *  
  
Or so Enishi thought. He didn't see Kenshin move to quickly to the left, bring up his sword, yell in anger, and slice down to Enishi's head.  
  
Kaoru watched in utmost horror. 'Oh no. . . I created a love-sick puppy as well as a killer machine!!!!'  
  
Enishi dodged Kenshin's attack by moving to the right. He grinned that insane grin of his, but it was cut short when he felt a horrible pain on his shoulder and ear. His small rounded glasses fell to the floor, and bits and pieces of his snow-white hair fell to his shoulder. Kenshin had cut him.  
  
Kenshin growled, deep in his throat, and was just about ready to kill Enishi. [No no no!!! You mustn't do that until later in the story!!!] Rurouni cried.  
  
(Sorry, MOM!!! -_-; )  
  
Kenshin sliced at Enishi once more, but Enishi saw it coming and jumped up.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Enishi hit his head terribly onto the ceiling above him. Crying out in pain, Enishi fell to the floor, holding his head. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to knock him out.  
  
Enishi growled. "Oooo. . . You'll pay for that!!!" he shouted. He got up to slice at the surprised Kenshin, when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks. It was a cold, slithery voice, coming from the door.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice said. Kenshin, Kaoru and Enishi turned to the door to see Misao hiding behind Aoshi, who had a katana in hand, pointing at Enishi.  
  
Enishi frowned, "Hey no fair!!! Two against one!"  
  
Aoshi didn't change his expression of nothingness. "Go away Yukishiro. You've no part in this story now. Unless you would like me to make you permanently out of the job?" a small tinge of humor was on Aoshi's face.  
  
Enishi took that as a hint to make his escape. He turned to Kenshin and grinned, "We'll finish this battle some other time. But first answer me this, 'what's your name'?"  
  
Kenshin looked at him. His eyes were grave as he spoke the words, as if he said them regretfully. "Himura. Kenshin Himura."  
  
Enishi grinned more evilly. "Well then Mr. Kenshin Himura, I'll be seeing you around." With a wink Enishi ran out towards the open window, hopped out and ran out of sight.  
  
Misao ran to Kaoru. "Oh Kaoru-chan!!! Are you alright? What did he do this time?"  
  
Kaoru smiled at her childhood friend. "Don't worry Misao. Enishi didn't do anything to me. Kenshin saved me." She looked at Kenshin with a smile.  
  
Kenshin would have blushed, but once more; he couldn't.  
  
Aoshi sheathed his katana and walked over to Misao. "Misao. I must be going now. It's getting very dark outside, and something tells me I'll bump into Yukishiro on my way home."  
  
Misao nodded. She gave Aoshi a peck on the lips. But of course, Aoshi still had to bend down a little so she could reach, even when she was up on her toes.  
  
Aoshi nodded at Kaoru, and at Kenshin. "Goodnight Kaoru, Himura-san." He walked out of the door, into his car, and drove away.  
  
Misao looked from Kaoru to Kenshin, from Kenshin to Kaoru, with wide eyes. Then she thought up a plan, "Well, it's late, better get going, see you in the morning!!!" she ran to her room and shut the door.  
  
Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "I'm sorry about all that Kaoru. . ."  
  
Kaoru stopped him, "It's alright Kenshin. You fought very bravely with that old sword. I was surprised it even cut Enishi!"  
  
Kenshin looked down at the sword. [I. . . I know how to fight!] Rurouni shouted with utmost pride.  
  
(Good boy Rurouni! Now, get the snack! Get the snack!) Battousai snickered.  
  
[That's not going to work on me like it did last time, you know!] Rurouni frowned.  
  
(Darn. . .)  
  
Kaoru smiled, "I guess I did program you with fighting abilities. . ."  
  
"And it's very good that you did. It saved both of our lives." Kenshin said. There was something in his voice that was very sad, but Kaoru couldn't quite put her finger on it.  
  
"Kenshin?" she watched him look up at her, violet eyes shinning, brimmed with tears unwilling to come out. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
She held in her sigh. 'Of course there's something wrong. What kind of stupid question is that??? Pull yourself together Kaoru! He's a robot, of course there's something wrong! He doesn't feel like a human because he isn't one!' she thought.  
  
Kenshin looked back down to the sword. He sighed, "No, Kaoru. There's nothing wrong."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Well that was a bit longer this time, now wasn't it? I'm so happy!!! The first battle of my story!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please, Chibi feels so lonely right now. . .* sniff sniff * give her some feedback, just as a holiday gift. . .please? Pretty please? 


	6. Chapter Six

Author's Notes: Okay, I am probably the most happiest writer out there right now! I am getting the BEST feedback, and even though some of it was a little pushy, it wasn't mean, and I like that. It gave me a good push, and that's why I'm updating right now. ^_^; I have some stuff to say to reviewers just as a holiday treat! I'm really sorry if Enishi appears to be so mean in this one. GOMEN!  
  
Sadness Lurks Behind Everyone: Hey. Thank you SO much for saying that my story is worth reading. That makes me * tear * so * tear * happy. . . YOU'RE SO COOL! . . . .ahem. You asked a question. "Why is Enishi all spooky now? How come he isn't the same old Enishi Kaoru once knew? What made him change?" those are very good questions, and I love you for that! I'm so happy! * dances around room * ahem. . . I will answer your questions in this nice long chapter. ^_^ Please review again!  
  
kikikikikikikikiki*mimimimimimi : I'm really sorry if it appears that I'm giving Aoshi the stiff shoulder. GOMEN! ^_^ I am a HUGE fan of Aoshi- sama, cuz you know everybody loves him. *drools all over keyboard * ahem. . . So I'll try to do what you said. To lay off him a little. ^_^ I'll make him crack a smile or something. . .lol. Please review again!  
  
Tis the season to be jolly. . . : HI!!! Thank you so much for reviewing! Nice question you had. "When will Kenshin turn into a human?" well, afraid I can't make him turn into a human in THIS chapter, but I will tell you this : Kenshin WILL turn into a human eventually, and just between you and me. . . * well some other people might be reading this but I doubt it, not many people read stupid author's notes and all that crap * Kenshin will turn into a human somewhere in the chapters of the late teens or early twenties. I wanna make this a long story! ^_^ Please review again!  
  
Fluffy is my cat;) : Hello and THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!! You make me so happy. * sniff * Chibi feels. . . * sniff * so loved. . .* cries and hugs Fluffy * YOU ARE SO COOL!!!! * still crying * ahem. . . * sniff * Please review again! . . . oh and I'll make Kenshin act like a donkey * cough * I mean * cough * let Rurouni take over. ^_~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story! YAY!  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Kaoru still couldn't put her finger on it. Kenshin was acting weird, she knew it. It was the morning after the fight with Enishi that Kaoru and Kenshin ate breakfast together. They watched tv.  
  
But Kenshin wasn't listening. (This is so stupid. . .)  
  
[What is?] Rurouni demanded.  
  
Battousai sighed. (The fact that we're even here!)  
  
[And why is that so stupid?]  
  
(Because. . .well. . .) Battousai growled, (I don't know! It's just. . .STUPID!)  
  
Rurouni sighed, and looked down at his hands. [I suppose you're right. I mean, what are we supposed to do here?]  
  
Battousai got an evil grin on his face. (Well. . .)  
  
[BESIDES flirting with Kaoru-dono.]  
  
(Kaoru-DONO?!?)  
  
Rurouni blushed. [Well yes. As far as I'm concerned, that's what you would say to a person you just met.]  
  
Battousai frowned, (But we didn't JUST meet her! We met her . . .) he thought about it for a moment or two. . .or maybe it was three. . .(Four days ago!)  
  
Rurouni sighed, [Has it really been four days?]  
  
(I dunno, it could be three. . .I've lost track. . .)  
  
Rurouni growled, very out of character. [This story isn't going anywhere!!! We've got to do something!] he turned to Battousai. [I know! To make this story ACTUALLY move around a bit I'll. . .]  
  
Battousai looked confused. (What story?)  
  
Rurouni sat back down, annoyed. [The story we're in.]  
  
(We're in a story?)  
  
Rurouni rolled his eyes. [Yes!]  
  
(Uhhh. . .I'm not following you.)  
  
Rurouni sighed. He leaned closer to Battousai and whispered something into his ear. Battousai's face went from confused to a grin. (OHHHHHH!!!!! THAT story!)  
  
Rurouni sighed once more and whipped the sweat from his forehead. [Finally you understand.]  
  
Battousai suddenly stood up. (HEY! What am I getting paid for this contract? Awww what a bunch of. . .)  
  
Rurouni shushed him.  
  
Battousai was near tears. (But. . .but but. . . . this isn't enough of a salary!)  
  
Rurouni rolled his eyes. [Talk about it with the boss LATER!!!! We're on the air!!!]  
  
They both turned to the audience, blushed, smiled weakly, giggled really girly, then ran off stage.  
  
Kenshin nearly growled. Kaoru turned to him with wide eyes. "What's going on Kenshin? What's wrong? Geesh I swear it's like you have personal battles inside that head of yours!"  
  
Kenshin sighed, "You have NO idea. . ."  
  
(What was it you were talking about?)  
  
[About what?] Rurouni asked.  
  
(About making this story move along?)  
  
Rurouni smiled. [OHHH!!!] he coughed. [Yes well. . .ahem. . . as I was saying : to make this story move along, I'll take over!]  
  
Battousai's eyes widened. (YOU'LL WHAT????)  
  
[I'll take over!]  
  
(Oh NO you don't!)  
  
[Let go of me!]  
  
(There's no way I'm letting you near Kaoru!)  
  
[Stop the tickling!!! Stop the. . .ORORORORORORORO!!!!!] he faints from laughing so hard.  
  
Battousai snickers. (Hahah. . .works every time. . .)  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. 'I swear there's something wrong with this guy. . .'  
  
Kaoru jus then realized she had to go to dance class that day. She sighed. "Well, gotta go dance with Sanosuke. . ."  
  
Kenshin turned to her. "Oh yah! What about this 'Sanosuke' guy?"  
  
Kaoru looked at him. "Well. . . I'm pretending to be his girlfriend."  
  
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Pretending?"  
  
Kaoru nodded.  
  
Kenshin thought for a moment. "I could dance with you!" he smiled at  
her.  
  
Kaoru smiled back. "Really? Sanosuke isn't a very good dancer. . .so it would be GREAT if you would dance with me for a change!"  
  
Kenshin frowned, "But what about Sanosuke? Wouldn't he get angry?"  
  
Kaoru smiled, "Oh don't worry, he's not that type of person.  
  
~ * ~  
  
"YOU'RE DANCING WITH WHO????????" Sanosuke yelled.  
  
Kaoru smiled, meakly. "With Kenshin. . ."  
  
"And who's this Kenshin guy?"  
  
"Uhh. . . a friend of mine. . ."  
  
"What am I not good enough at dancing for you?"  
  
"No no no! That's not it Sanosuke. . ."  
  
"Why I oughta. . ."  
  
Kenshin stepped in, and grabbed Sanosuke wrist. "That'll be enough of this argument, that it will, de gozaru yo."  
  
Kaoru turned to him. 'What's with the manners? And his eyes. . . so violet! So pure and violet!'  
  
Sanosuke frowned and growled at Kenshin, "So who are you? This 'Kenshin' I've been hearing about?"  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yes. My name is Kenshin Himura."  
  
Sanosuke sneered, "Fine. Dance with her. She's all yours. I don't need her anymore."  
  
Kaoru then lost her temper. "YOU? DON'T NEED ME???? I was the one who needed YOU!" she growled, "To get back at Enishi!"  
  
Kenshin looked at her. "Enishi? You pretended to be Sanosuke's girlfriend to get back at Enishi?" he thought for a moment. "What would that do?"  
  
Kaoru sighed. "I thought he'd get jealous." She blinked away a tear.  
  
Her dance teacher stamped her feet. "Would you take it out in the hallway?" she asked.  
  
Kaoru, Kenshin and Sanosuke stepped outside. Kaoru sighed again.  
  
Kenshin frowned, "How did you and Enishi break up, anyway?"  
  
Sanosuke turned soft, showing that he wasn't that big a bully. "Hey, hey, Jou-chan. Don't worry, you can tell us."  
  
Kenshin nodded.  
  
Kaoru looked at them with teary eyes. "Well. . .it all was such a beautiful relationship. He was so handsome, and I loved him so much!"  
  
`~`~`~`~`FLASHBACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Enishi turned to look at Kaoru. "Kaoru-chan. . .darling. . .there's something I need to tell you."  
  
Kaoru smiled. "What is it dear?"  
  
Enishi frowned, and sighed. "Kaoru. . . I know that going back on everything I've said would be bad. Everything I said about loving you. . .about. . . wanting to be with you forever. . ."  
  
Kaoru's smile was lost when she realized what was about to happen.  
  
Enishi looked up at her. "I have really always loved you. . .but there is someone else who needs me more then you do. My sister. You remember her right?"  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened with fear.  
  
"She recently became sick. I love my sister with all my heart, and I would do anything for her. While I was away the other day, I went to see her. She had a friend there." Enishi breathed between his sentences. "She is my big sister, and she told me I shouldn't be with you. She told me I ought to be with her friend. I got to know her friend, and. . . I love her. I love her more then you. I'm sorry Kaoru, but . . . it's over. I can't disobey my sister."  
  
Kaoru frowned. "If you really love me then you WOULD go against your sister's command! You would forget that girl and come back to me!"  
  
Enishi frowned. "But that's the thing! Kaoru! I don't love you anymore! I never really loved you! I was just with you to try and get over the grief of my father's death! I never loved you! It was all a lie!"  
  
Kaoru gasped. She stepped back a foot. "So. . .you never really loved me. . ."  
  
"I never loved you Kaoru. In fact, you get on my nerves! I don't know how I put up with you!"  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "You're not the Enishi I know and love. Something's wrong. . .something's terribly wrong!"  
  
Enishi nodded and snickered. "Listen to me Kaoru! I hate you! I hate you and I hate you more each day! You don't deserve to be my girlfriend anymore!"  
  
Kaoru frowned in anger. "I don't WANT to be your girlfriend anymore! I realize what you are now! You're just a slimy criminal! A scoundrel! A raper!!!"  
  
Enishi hissed at her.  
  
Kaoru let the tears flow from her eyes. "I believed in you Enishi Yukishiro! I really did! I thought we had it, together, dancing together, always together. But now? Your sister rules over you, doesn't she? You don't care about me do you?" ((AN: I was just watching Fushigi Yugi at the part where Yui is all screaming at Tamahome. * snicker * Sorry but I'm just in the mood for betrayal. . .^_^;))  
  
"I don't care about you! I never did! In fact, remember when you cried so much over your parent's deaths????"  
  
Kaoru gasped again.  
  
Enishi laughed, manically. "I'm the one who killed them! That's right! I am the one!"  
  
Kaoru shook her head, slowly. "No. . .no. . . no I don't believe you. . .NO I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Hey there!!! Thank you for reading! I had a lot of fun writing the ending part. Never watch 'Fushigi Yugi' at the part when Yui is all "I wish I had died!!!" and all that stuff, * gesh what a cry baby -_-; * and THEN watch 'Dead Again' with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. If you do, THIS is the result. Lol ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama!!! ^_~ 


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's Notes: Well. . . It's 2004 at last! Time to make new goals and such. My goal this year is to actually finish this story. . .* thinks * But that would be very hard. . .lol ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you for all the awesome reviews that I'm getting!! I love you minna-sama!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Kenshin felt a butterfly feeling in the pit of his stomach as he listened to Kaoru's sad tale. He glanced over at Sanosuke, and saw tears penetrating his eyes. Kenshin nearly sighed. Oh, if only he could cry too. . .  
  
Sanosuke sniffed, "That was the most sad story I've ever heard!!!" he started crying.  
  
Kaoru closed her eyes, and Kenshin could hear a growl coming from her throat. "Arggggg. . . Sanosuke. . ." moments later, Sanosuke was lying on the ground some five feet away with a large red bump on his head.  
  
"Oi Jou-chan, why'd you do that???" Sanosuke called.  
  
Kaoru huffed, "Because you were ruining the moment!" she coughed and cleared her throat. "Anyway. . ."  
  
`~`~`~`~`FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Kaoru sobbed at home on the couch. 'I really did think he was the best boyfriend I ever had!'-she thought that over-'Wait. He's the only boyfriend I've ever had!'  
  
Misao walked over to Kaoru, concern in her eyes. "Hey Kaoru-chan, what's wrong?"  
  
Kaoru looked up at her best friend. "Oh Misao! Enishi. . .he. . .he. . ."  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow. "He. . .he. . . WHAT???"  
  
Kaoru frowned and yelled back, "HE DUMPED ME!!!"  
  
Misao looked at her with wide eyes, then smiled, "Ooooohhhh!!! That's it!!! He dumped. . ." then the realization of what Kaoru said sank in. "Oh Kaoru-chan! I'm so sorry! Why would he do such a cruel thing? You two were so happy together!"  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "It was all a lie. He wasn't really interested in me. He. . .he killed my parents!"  
  
Misao gasped. "Why would he do such a thing? Why did he kill your parents?"  
  
Kaoru let another tear escape her eye. "I-I don't know. I really don't know Misao."  
  
"Did he have something against them?"  
  
"I didn't even know Enishi when they were killed, how could I have known? I was only a little kid. . ." Kaoru looked up when the door opened and Aoshi walked in.  
  
Aoshi saw Kaoru's tears and rushed over, "Kaoru, what's wrong?" he asked. Kaoru had never heard Aoshi soften so much as he was now.  
  
Misao whispered into Aoshi's ear all that Kaoru had told her. Aoshi nodded, and rubbed Kaoru's shoulders. "That's terrible Kaoru, but don't get so worked up about it. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this. Maybe he didn't kill them at all. No matter what, we'll find out. I'll go talk with Saitoh Hajime, the head of the police."  
  
Kaoru smiled weakly up at Aoshi. "Oh Aoshi, you know I consider you as a brother, but really there's no need to involve the police any more then they already are!"  
  
Aoshi shook his head. "No. No, I will talk to him about this, and maybe they'll track down Enishi and find out if he really did kill them." He thought for a moment. "How were they killed?"  
  
Kaoru looked down at the floor. "They were murdered. First my father, in a sword fight, and then my mother, slashed in half only five minutes later. The police believe she was killed by a different person but they don't know for sure." Kaoru cried at just the thought of it. "I was at home at the time. They were killed when coming home from a sudden and urgent business meeting late at night."  
  
Aoshi sighed. "Don't worry Kaoru. It'll all work out somehow. . ."  
  
`~`~`~`~`END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Kaoru finished her tale, "I thought that if I was with another man, Enishi would get jealous. I was only really trying to find out if he actually did like me. . .but it seems to me my hopes are wrong."  
  
Sanosuke frowned, "So what am I? Pork-chop and rice?"  
  
Kenshin saw tears clouding Kaoru's eyes and he wiped them away with a finger. He smiled, "I'm sure that Aoshi-san was right when he said it would all work out somehow."  
  
Kaoru looked up at him, surprised. That was the first time she had seen him smile like that. Also the first time she had felt him touch her. His finger was very cold. . . and not life-like at all, but she smiled back at him anyway. 'Why is he acting so nice all of a sudden???. . .huh. . .men. . .'  
  
Rurouni sniffed. [Oh. . .that was. . .so. . .sad. . .]  
  
Battousai growled. (Enishi will PAY for what he has done to Kaoru!!!)  
  
Rurouni looked at him. [You're right! I feel sudden strength!]  
  
(Uhhh. . .how do we make him pay?)  
  
[. . .I don't know. . .]  
  
Kaoru sighed. "I don't think I'm in the mood for dance lesson today. I think I'll skip."  
  
Kenshin nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Let's go home." He took Kaoru's hand, as if the wind would blow her away.  
  
Sanosuke raised an eyebrow, very confused, then smiled that goofy smile of his. "Oi. Jou-chan? I think you're getting along pretty fine without me so maybe I'll just walk over here. . ." he screamed out in agony when Kaoru bonked him on the head.  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?????"  
  
"Well. . .I thought maybe you were with Kenshin!?!"  
  
"No! NO NO NO NO NO!!!" Kaoru blushed. "I'm not with Kenshin!"  
  
Kenshin turned around to see them bickering and arguing. ". . .Oro?. . ." he whispered.  
  
Battousai grumbled, (How did they meet anyway?)  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru were home, and found that Sanosuke had followed them, saying, "Oh would you look at the time? It's twelve o-clock already! Gotta get some food. . . Hey can I come over to your house?" he waited for no answer. "GREAT!!! What for supper?"  
  
Kenshin sat on the couch, brooding to himself about Kaoru's misfortunes. 'Her parents were killed from a sword. . .' his eyes widened. 'Enishi had a sword!' he looked around himself to see nobody was there, so he closed his eyes and a memory flashed before them.  
  
`~`~`~`~`FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
"But why, Master?" asked a little ten year old Kenshin.  
  
A tall, broad shouldered man with long green hair and a long white and red cape said, "Just because. The sword was made for killing, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. Only use the sword to protect yourself!"  
  
`~`~`~`~`END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Kenshin gasped at what he saw, but couldn't open his eyes fast enough, for soon came another memory.  
  
`~`~`~`~`FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
A fifteen year old Kenshin frowned at the man in front of him, but it wasn't the same man as before. Kenshin had blood red hair that was put up high on his head in a pony-tail. He was wearing a white hakama and a blue gi, the same blue as his eyes.  
  
"Is that it? I must kill people to create a new and better Japan?" he asked the man. "Is that it, Katsura?"  
  
The man smiled wickedly. "Yes my boy, that's it. You can be called one of the Hitokiri's, but first I must see your strength."  
  
Kenshin nodded, and watched as five, large, sulking men approached him with knives and swords. 'Is this it? Is this the truth? I have to kill people to create a new era for Japan?' Kenshin nodded once more, only to himself. 'Yes. This is the way. This is my new life. The life. . .of an assassin.'  
  
Kenshin unsheathed his sword, and glared at each of the men. Katsura could have sworn he saw Kenshin's eyes turn a hard cold amber. Kenshin whispered, "Come."  
  
The men charged at him, screaming in rage. They were completely blind to what Kenshin did next. No. They didn't even see him run to the right, as fast as a god, then come running toward them and slashing them into bits and pieces. They didn't even know what hit them.  
  
And neither did Katsura. All he saw was Kenshin standing at one place, then in another, and watched all five men scream in agony and fall to the floor, dead. He smiled and chuckled softly.  
  
There were another men watching behind Katsura and they all gasped. One of the men whispered to another, "He. . .he's so fast!"  
  
"I know! Did you see him?"  
  
"No I didn't!"  
  
"He's a. . . oh what's the word I'm looking for?"  
  
"I really have no idea. . ."  
  
"Oh! Battousai."  
  
"Battou. . .su?"  
  
"No you blockhead! Battousai! He's the Hitokiri. . .Battousai!"  
  
Kenshin looked at the men whispering. 'Hitokiri. . .Battousai?' he thought about the name, then nodded with a slight smile. . . probably one of his last. "Yes. That's me. I'm the Hitokiri Battousai."  
  
`~`~`~`~`END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Kaoru waved her hands in front of Kenshin's face. "Kenshin. . .? Kenshin. . .?"  
  
Sanosuke walked over to her. "Here, move aside." He slapped Kenshin really hard on the cheek, and the thought of how cold Kenshin was slipped through his mind, but he paid no attention to it.  
  
Kenshin's eyes opened with a jerk, and Kaoru saw they were amber. "ORO!!!!" Kenshin accidentally knocked Sanosuke to the other side of the room as he stood up.  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. '. . .oro. . .? And what's up with the eyes?'  
  
Sanosuke sat up. "HEY!!! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?????"  
  
Kenshin looked down at Sanosuke. "Oh sorry Sanosuke. . . Didn't see you there. . ."  
  
(Ha ha . . .sucker. Teaches him to mess with me!) Battousai laughed.  
  
[You are weird. . .]  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Kenshin? Is there something wrong?"  
  
Kenshin turned to her, and saw the concern in her eyes. He tried to smile, but he just couldn't, and Kaoru noticed it. "No. No Kaoru I'm fine. I. . .I just need to get some rest. . ." he walked over to his room, and closed the door behind him.  
  
Kaoru watched him go. 'Wonder what's up with him?'  
  
Kenshin sighed, and frowned. 'What was that vision? It couldn't have been a memory. . .I was only recently created! Who was that man. . .Katsura? And who was that other man?' he tried to think, and a name rolled into his head. 'Hiko.'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: OOOHHHH YAH BABY!!! A nice long chapter for ya! Hope you enjoy! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please tell me what you think minna- sama! Chibi feels so happy to get reviews!!! In case you were wondering. . .there is a LARGE twist in this story. I'll let you decide if Enishi killed Kaoru's parents and why. . . but personally, I know EXACTLY who did. . .and it's gonna be really cool. ^_~;  
  
CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! Chibi wants to hear that beautiful music of you pressing the 'Submit Review' button!!! ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Author's Notes: Wow. . . everybody likes this story so much! Thank you!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama for being so nice to me!!! I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. . . .hope you have fun reading it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Sanosuke sat eagerly at the dinner table, waiting for Kaoru to bring out food. He watched as she walked over with a whole lot of food made for twenty people. Sanosuke's mouth grew bigger somewhat at that moment. He looked at the food in front of him. It looked kinda weird, but he tried it anyway. He stuffed a whole bunch of the food into his mouth. He smiled at Kaoru, who stood next to him, watching, waiting to see if he liked it. It was at that moment that Sanosuke realized that the food. . .was terrible. His whole face turned blue, and he stopped chewing. He started to spit all the food out. When it was all out, he cried, "KAORU!!! EWWW!!! THAT WAS HORRIBLE!!!"  
  
Kaoru hit him over the head. "HEY! Don't insult my food! I worked really hard on that food!"  
  
Misao walked into the room, saw Sanosuke's face and laughed at him. "HAHA! You thought Kaoru's food was good? Sucker!"  
  
Kaoru glared at her, and Misao sat down at the table, as fast as a little cat being chased by a big dog.  
  
Misao looked around at the table. "Uhhh. . . Where's Himura?"  
  
Kaoru looked around too. "He said he was going to rest a little. I'll check on him. . . I think there's something wrong with him. . ."  
  
Sanosuke looked up at her, "Of course there's something wrong with him! Have you felt how cold his skin is???"  
  
Kaoru glared at him, "So maybe he's a little cold! Big deal!" she walked over to Kenshin's room, and placed an ear to the door. Inside, she could hear slow, steady breathing. She had had help from Hiko to make it so Kenshin had robotic lungs and it would appear that he was breathing. But unlike humans, he didn't need breath to keep him alive. She had programmed his breathing so that it would be normal while he was awake, and slow and steady when asleep.  
  
She opened the slide door. Kenshin was on his side, back towards her. 'Hmm. . . Maybe he did need some sleep. Guess I should just leave him alone for a while. . .' she closed the door and walked back to the kitchen.  
  
Kenshin, however, inside his room, opened his eyes and turned around as he heard Kaoru's footsteps walk back to the kitchen. He sighed. [What do we do now, de gozaru ka?]  
  
Battousai thought for a minute. (Maybe. . .This. . .Hiko guy. . .is a real human!)  
  
Rurouni looked over at him. [And how would we find him?]  
  
(I dunno. . .ask Kaoru)  
  
[And Kaoru-dono would know. . .how?]  
  
(Hey stop making me look stupid!)  
  
[. . . .]  
  
Kenshin put his hands on his head. 'No. No! Go away you stupid voices!!!' he thought. 'Oh it's no use. . .they're just going to keep yakking away. . .'  
  
(Well I think we should look in a phone book or something. . .)  
  
[Maybe Enishi would know who he is.]  
  
(And go near that creep? NO WAY!)  
  
[Oh yah. . . .]  
  
Kenshin sighed once more and looked around his dark room. 'Those visions. . .They scared me. Were they real? Was I once a real person?' he mentally slapped himself. 'No. That can't be right. . .'  
  
Kenshin felt his breathing getting ragged. "Maybe I should get some fresh air. . ." he whispered. But then he remembered, he couldn't feel air. Oh well. . .  
  
Kenshin tip toed out of his room and over to where the slide door led to outside. He opened it and stepped upon the porch. He closed the slide door behind him. It was dark outside, and he could see the wind blowing in the trees. But he couldn't feel it.  
  
Kenshin punched the air. 'If I'm going to get revenge on Enishi. . .I'll need a weapon to fight him with.'  
  
(OI!!! I know! A sword!)  
  
[Swords are dangerous, de gozaru yo!] Rurouni whimpered.  
  
Battousai growled at him. (Oh come on!!!)  
  
Kenshin tried to block those voices out, but they kept bickering. 'Would you two SHUT UP?????'  
  
Battousai and Rurouni looked at him. (Sorry man. . . Geesh. . . Don't need to get so angry!)  
  
[Gomen nasai, de gozaru yo!]  
  
Kenshin sighed in relief when he stopped hearing the voices. He sat down on the chair on the porch. The wind blew his blood red hair around him. His violet/amber eyes started to droop. Kenshin smiled slightly. It felt nice out here. He couldn't explain it. He knew he couldn't feel the wind blowing his hair around him, he knew he couldn't smell the jasmine scent of the air, he KNEW he couldn't really feel like his body was tired, but. . .it just felt. . .nice. Kenshin's eyes closed all the way and his head fell forward slightly.  
  
`~`~`~`~DREAM~`~`~`~`  
  
Kenshin looked around himself. He was in a field of beautiful flowers. He looked at his hands. They weren't cold anymore! They were warm. . .tender. . .real feeling. He turned to see Kaoru laughing and running towards him. She ran into his arms, and Kenshin could feel her warmness, her body pressed against his chest, her face on his neck. He could feel it all. As if. . . as if he were. . .human.  
  
`~`~`~`~OUT OF DREAM~`~`~`~`  
  
Kaoru walked back over to Kenshin's room. She was afraid that he wasn't okay. That something was wrong. She marched into his room, and felt on his futon. 'He's not here!!!' she thought.  
  
She ran around the apartment. He wasn't anywhere! She looked outside, to see Kenshin asleep in the swinging chair. Kaoru smiled, and walked over to him. She sat down on the bench like swinging chair next to him. He looked. . .peaceful in his sleep. Kaoru leaned against the back of the chair and looked up at the stars.  
  
'Mommy. . .Daddy. . .' she thought. 'Well, why should I ever try to make Enishi jealous? I hate him! He killed my parents!' she let a tear fall. 'I've got to. . .wait. . .no. . . I can't kill him! Instead. . .I'll make him go to jail and suffer!!!!' she smiled evilly, but the smile was lost only moments later. The tears kept falling as she thought of how happy she was with her parents, and how she begged them to stay home that night they went to the meeting. She wanted them to watch a certain movie with her.  
  
Kaoru's sobs grew louder. 'No. . .No I can't be weak. I'm strong! I'm very strong. . .' but hey, wouldn't you get shaken up if YOU'RE ex-boyfriend killed YOUR parents???  
  
Kenshin's eyes slowly opened to the sound of Kaoru's sobs. He looked over at her. 'How'd she get out here???' he thought about it, 'Oh. . .I fell asleep. . .'  
  
"Kaoru?"  
  
Kaoru looked at Kenshin, "Ohh. . . I'm sorry Kenshin. I woke you up."  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "No. No." he looked at her tear stained face. "Why are you crying Kaoru?"  
  
Kaoru looked away. "It's nothing." She shivered as the cold wind blew against her.  
  
Kenshin saw this, and realized it must be very cold. He wouldn't know since he was a robot. (Oi. . .I've got an idea!)  
  
Rurouni shook his head. [Uhhh. . .I think you should let ME do that.]  
  
(And why should I do that?)  
  
[Because I have more control!]  
  
(. . .Fine. BE that way.)  
  
Kenshin's eyes turned violet, and he pulled Kaoru into his lap. "Shhhh. . .Shhh don't cry. . ."  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. 'What's he doing?!?!?!?'  
  
Kenshin rubbed the top of her head, and gently pushed it so it was lying on his chest.  
  
Kaoru couldn't move. She was paralyzed. 'What do I do????'  
  
Kenshin kept murmuring words of comfort, and he started to push with his feet on the ground to make the chair swing. "Relax Kaoru. . .relax. . ."  
  
Kaoru's sobs died down, and she closed her eyes. 'Feels warm. . .' her eyes widened at the thought. 'Hey wait! Kenshin is supposed to be cold! He's a robot!' but she couldn't help the feeling. Kenshin's body was very warm.  
  
Kaoru closed her eyes again, and let herself fall asleep in his arms. Kenshin smiled, gently. "Goodnight, Kaoru-dono." He closed his eyes and fell asleep again.  
  
Sanosuke and Misao watched the whole scene from the window. They both giggled. "Ooooohhh this is GREAT!!!" Sanosuke whispered.  
  
Misao nodded. "YES! I KNEW those two were together!"  
  
They both brought out a large blanket and pulled it over Kenshin and Kaoru. Sanosuke couldn't contain his laughter. "Goodnight, lovebirds!"  
  
Misao nodded. "See you in the morning. . ." then she winked, "Or maybe the afternoon. . ."  
  
They both giggled again and walked back inside.  
  
Kenshin smiled in his sleep. He was dreaming of being with Kaoru in that field of flowers, holding her tightly, silently thinking to himself, 'I think I'm in love. . .'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: AWWWWW!!! Major fluff!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! Tell me what you think of this chapter, because I had SO much fun writing it!!! Hmmm. . . what's this? Kenshin feels warm??? Oooohhhh I think I see great plans for this story in the horizon. . .  
  
CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! Chibi loves to hear the musical sound of you pressing the 'Submit Review' button!! ^_~ 


	9. Chapter Nine

Authors Notes: HELLO!!!. . . well since I've been getting wonderful feedback, maybe I'll feedback to the reviewers!!! If you see your name, READ!!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
^_^ : I didn't have this ALL in my dream, just the plotline. I was making a robot, and the thing is, I actually didn't make Kenshin, I made Sanosuke. . . but for my story I thought it would be more interesting with Kenshin. The rest of my story you are reading has been created in my head when I WAS AWAKE!!! Lol ^_^ thank you for reviewing!  
  
Victoria : Thank you so much for saying my fic is cool! I feel. . . so special. . . Hmmm. . . Reincarnation, eh? I dunno. . . I can't really tell you because if I did I'd give away the WHOLE story. But I will tell you this. : just remember Hiko. * voice fades away into the distant * remember. . .Hiko. . . lol  
  
Fluffy is my cat ;) : HI! You are such a nice reviewer and your reviews mean SO much to me. Thank you! * hugs fluff * Hmm. . . You asked a question that I cannot answer cuz if I DID. . . I'd give away the story. Do YOU think Kenshin killed them? * points finger accusingly *  
  
AnimePerfect : Thanks for reviewing my story, you are SO kind!! I love you! * hugs and kisses *. . . .ahem. . . .  
  
Brittanie Love : Hey girl just wanna say, that thank you for reviewing my stories, and that your stories are SO COOL!!!!!!!  
  
Houndingwolf : HI! I like your stories a LOT!!! And thank you for reviewing mine! I put in lots of suspense??? * thinks * sessha didn't think she put in that much. . . uh oh. . .  
  
Magiabruxa : You are one of my fav reviewers. * ahem. . . not that I have a favorite. . . ahem. . .^_~ * Thanks!!! I love your stories!  
  
Koishi Sweet : Hey Koishi, thank you for reviewing! Sessha enjoys reading your reviews, that she does. . .  
  
Tenken No Miko : Thank you so much for your review, it means a lot to me. ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!!  
  
Female Hitokiri Battousai : You know what I'm going to say. . . . . . . .THANK YOU!!! You're such a great friend, and I wish I could talk to you on IM more often. Luv ya stories girl!  
  
Okay enough of that stuff, let's get on with the story, shall we?  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
It was the next morning when there was a loud knock at the door of the Kamiya/Makimachi apartment. Sanosuke answered the door. "Yes?"  
  
A man dressed as a police officer stood in front of him. He had cold amber eyes with dark brown hair. He had white gloves, and they were holding a briefcase. "I'd like to see Kaoru Kamiya," the man said with no emotion what so ever.  
  
Sanosuke thought up an image in his head. Kaoru was still sleeping with Kenshin on the porch in the back. He smiled weakly, "Well. . . She's busy right now so I'm afraid you can't see her. . . come back another time. . ." he started to close the door.  
  
The man held the door open. "I need to see Kaoru Kamiya. It concerns her parents, and I'm afraid a little man like you wouldn't be too interested in it."  
  
Sanosuke frowned, "Well if you'd like to know, I happen to be Kaoru's boyfriend!"  
  
"All right then. Where is she?"  
  
"In. . . the bathroom!"  
  
"It takes that long to use the restroom?"  
  
"Well you know girls. . . they take forever doing whatever messy business they're doing. . ."  
  
"Move out of the way, moron. I can tell you're lying."  
  
Sanosuke pushed the man away from the door, but the man seemed to be unmovable. "Hey, who are you calling a moron, moron?" he yelled.  
  
"Ah. It seems your patience is very low."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Sorry, but a low level creature like you could never understand or fully admit to themselves what they really are. Morons."  
  
Sanosuke was REALLY getting ticked. "Why I oughta. . ." he made his hands into fists.  
  
"Now are we going to argue all day, or am I going to see Kamiya?"  
  
"You can't see her right now, she's busy doing something!"  
  
"Now that I can believe. Something. But what is that something, eh."  
  
Misao ran outside and stood right in front of the man. "What's going on? Why the heck is a police officer in front of our apartment!"  
  
The man raised an eyebrow, very slightly. "And you are. . ."  
  
Misao huffed, "Makimachi Misao NEVER gives out her name to villains!"  
  
The man's mouth twitched, but was still unemotional. "I see. But I am no villain. I'm a police officer."  
  
Misao frowned, "Well you are sure ACTING like one!"  
  
The man glared at them both with his wolf like yes, "My name is Hajime Saitoh, head of the police."  
  
Misao didn't seem too impressed, but Sanosuke's eyes widened. He grinned. "Well then, FINE! Come this way, if you REALLY wanna see Jou-chan. . ." he led Saitoh through the apartment and to the back porch.  
  
Saitoh's eyebrow raised higher this time. "Eh. . ." he whispered.  
  
Kaoru was still asleep in Kenshin's lap. Saitoh looked Kenshin over, good and hard. 'Blood red hair. . . put in a pony-tail. . . I recognize that face. . . he couldn't be anybody else. . .Battousai, I've found you again after ten long years. . .'  
  
Sanosuke knocked on Kenshin's head. "Oi! Kenshin!"  
  
Kenshin woke with a start. "Oro?" he saw Sanosuke giving him a 'you're-in-trouble' look, and then he saw Kaoru still asleep in his arms. He looked up to see a man dressed in a police outfit. 'I recognize that face. . . I just don't know who he is. . . where have we met before. . .'  
  
"I'm here to speak with Kamiya," Saitoh said, stiffly.  
  
Kenshin nodded, and, blushing, he gently shook Kaoru's shoulder. "Kaoru-Kaoru wake up."  
  
Kaoru opened her eyes, and realized she was still in Kenshin's lap. She jumped right off of him and in the process accidentally smacked Sanosuke. . . at least that's I hope it was. An accident.  
  
"Oh sorry Sano. . . didn't see you there. . ." she said. She didn't look at Kenshin, since she was MUCH too embarrassed. "Uhhh. . . Hello?" she asked Saitoh.  
  
Saitoh nodded his cap. "Hajime Saitoh, Kamiya, nice to meet you. I have some news on your parent's death. May we talk inside?"  
  
Kaoru bit her lip, and nodded, "Yes! Yes come in! Thank you for coming!" she led Saitoh to the living room. She sat down at the couch, and so did Sanosuke and Kenshin. Misao stood behind the couch while Saitoh sat at the chair in front of it.  
  
"Must I have such an audience?" he asked.  
  
Of course Misao needed to know, Sanosuke just wanted to, and Kenshin was determined to find out. Saitoh nodded, "Very well. We've researched on the night of your parent's death. The meeting. . . was quite simple. Your father worked with a group of people who were defending your town during the Bakamatsu when you were twelve years old, correct?"  
  
Kaoru nodded.  
  
"The meeting was urgent because an attack was coming from a group led by a man named Katsura on your town. Your father went, of course, and I have to believe that your mother was worried, so she went too, correct?"  
  
Kaoru nodded again.  
  
Saitoh continued, "Your father used a bokken, not a katana, which I find simply careless when you're a soldier. You have a better chance of dieing."  
  
Kaoru frowned.  
  
Saitoh interrupted her before she could even argue with him. "The meeting was interrupted by an attack. Katsura is an evil man. He sent the best of his group to that tent your parents were in with twenty other people. A fight broke out. I would imagine that your father protected your mother valiantly. They ran outside, and somebody followed them away from everybody else. This is where I come in. I was over in the distant, watching the fight, and I recognized the person that followed your parents."  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed.  
  
(This doesn't sound good to me,) Battousai grumbled.  
  
Rurouni nodded.  
  
Saitoh kept going, "The man fought your father with a katana, and killed him. He was so fast, so furious, that your father had no chance. The only other thing I saw before my group was attacked, was the man walking away from your mother."  
  
Kaoru held in the tears that stung her eyes. "And. . . who was this man?" she asked. 'If it was Enishi. . . I'll kill him.'  
  
Saitoh noticed her killing glare, and said, "It couldn't have been Yukishiro."  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Why not?"  
  
"Because Yukishiro was only thirteen. He couldn't have been that strong to kill a full grown adult with amazing strength and a bokken, but he might have been able to take down your mother, since she had no weapon, but I doubt he was even there," Saitoh told her.  
  
Kaoru gasped. "Then who killed them?" she demanded.  
  
Saitoh's eyes narrowed as he said the name, "Hitokiri Battousai."  
  
((AN: I would have stopped there, but I decided you would kill me with such a cliffhanger, so I'll continue ^_~ ))  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened with fear as he whispered, ". . .Hitokiri . . . . Battousai. . .?"  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Amber eyes darted across the dark night. 'Now where did they go?' his mind screamed. He saw two people darting away. "Gotcha," he whispered.  
  
He ran after them with god-like-speed. He watched as the man turned around and shielded his wife with his body.  
  
"Come no closer you beast!" the man shouted. He held up his bokken.  
  
Amber eyes danced with laughter. He laughed, but then suddenly stopped and barked, "Foolish man! I am here to create a new era for Japan! And I am not a beast!" he ran forward to the man, katana in hand, ready to taste blood once more.  
  
With amazing ability, he slashed several times through the man holding the bokken. The woman screamed out in horror, deafening his ears. He wiped the blood from his katana, and put it back in its sheath.  
  
The woman looked at him with complete horror, her train of thoughts probably roaming around, 'He's going to kill me. . .', or so the man guessed. He smirked, "Don't worry, I don't kill women." He turned around and walked away, tuning out the sounds of the woman's sobs.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another man walking towards the woman, katana in hand. He thought maybe the man was related to the woman, but he couldn't know for sure. 'Hn. Better leave it be.' He began to walk again, until his ears were practically shattered with the sound of the woman screaming in pain, and then coming to a sudden stop.  
  
He wiped around quickly to see that the man had killed the woman with his katana. His eyes widened. He hadn't seen such madness in all his life. The other man had killed the woman with such vigor, such fury. He could tell the other man didn't know the woman. He looked closer at the man. The other man wasn't a man at all! He was only a little boy! New at the ways of killing!  
  
The boy had dark hair, wide eyes, and little circled glasses. The amber eyes narrowed. The boy looked only two years younger then himself, or three. The amber eyes closed. Besides, he himself was only fifteen years old. . .  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Everybody was now looking at Kenshin. Kaoru frowned, "What's wrong Kenshin? You're acting all weird. . ."  
  
Kenshin's eyes were amber to the core. He glared daggers at an invisible person.  
  
"Kenshin. . .? What is it?"  
  
Kenshin said the name with the most disgust Kaoru had ever heard in her entire life, "Enishi. . ."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Whatcha think? I know the end was a LITTLE gory, sorry about that. Blame me listening to the song 'Papercut' by Linkin Park. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you for reviewing minna-sama!!!  
  
CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! Chibi wants to hear that beautiful music of you pressing the 'Submit Review' button! 


	10. Chapter Ten

Author's Notes: Hey, thank you all for reviewing, though I got a few touchy ones. * hint hint nudge nudge * For those who don't know, lol means laugh- out-loud. Also, Kenshin just talks that way when he says "That I do" at the end of a sentence. Sorry, just trying to get with Kenshin's character. . .There, now that that is all cleared up, let's continue on to the story, shall we?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Kaoru gasped. 'Why did Kenshin just say that. . . Enishi. . .'  
  
Saitoh nearly smirked, 'What's wrong, Battousai? Cat got your tongue?'  
  
Meanwhile, Kenshin was having his own battle.  
  
[Sessha is VERY confused!!] Rurouni cried. [Why did sessha see all those . . . visions???]  
  
(Oh, can it will you?)  
  
[ORO???]  
  
Battousai sighed, (I honestly don't know what they were either. They could have been visions of the future. . .) his face turned hard and his amber eyes flickered angrily. (Or memories of the past.)  
  
"Oi. . Kenshin. . ." Sanosuke moved his hand over Kenshin's face.  
  
Kenshin snapped out of it, "ORO???"  
  
Everybody. . . except Saitoh. . . fell down anime-style.  
  
Misao sighed, "What does 'oro' mean anyway?"  
  
In a very stiff and unemotional voice, Saitoh told her, "Quite literally, it means 'oh no'."  
  
"Oh I get it!!!" Misao said with a large smile.  
  
Kaoru frowned at Kenshin. 'What the heck is going on with you, Kenshin?' she turned back to Saitoh. "Thank you for that information. But can you tell me just who this Hitokiri Battousai was?"  
  
Saitoh smirked. "But of course. Battousai and I were arch rivals when I was part of the Shinsen-gumi, and he was part of the Ishin-shishi. We battled in Kyoto many times, and every time, neither of us won. There was always a distraction, which I think is because Battousai was just lucky. I would have killed him if it weren't for all those distractions. . ."  
  
Kenshin suddenly started chuckling with his eyes closed, and was about to say something very rude back to Saitoh, when he realized Saitoh couldn't have been talking to him. '. . . What is going on with me?'  
  
Misao frowned. "And just what's so funny, Himura?"  
  
Kenshin looked up at her with innocent eyes, ". . . I really don't know. . ."  
  
Saitoh stood up. "Well, I believe my business here is done." He walked out of the room. When he reached the front porch, he saw Enishi standing behind a tree, watching him. When he reached the tree, he chuckled and said, "Don't worry. . . I told them."  
  
Enishi smiled, and his white hair blew in the furious wind blowing against him. "You gave them all the facts except for one little thing?"  
  
Saitoh nodded. "Everything I told them was the truth. . . I just didn't tell them all of it."  
  
Enishi snickered, and he pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. "Very good Saitoh. Here's some money."  
  
Saitoh glared at him, and pushed the money to the ground. "You must remember, Yukishiro: I work for one man and one man only, and that's myself. Nobody else. I just did what I did to finally kill Battousai. Piece. . .by piece. . ."  
  
Enishi grinned evilly. "I knew that Kenshin Himura was the Battousai; I recognized him from the start. But. . . why didn't he recognize me?" he looked up at the sky as if it held the answer.  
  
Saitoh looked up at the sky also. "That. . . I still don't know."  
  
~*~  
  
It was later that night when everybody sat down at the dinner Kenshin had made. Sanosuke's eyes grew as large as his stomach. "Wow!!! Kenshin!!! This looks awesome!!! Not like the usual trash we always get. . ."  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT???" came a scream from Kaoru.  
  
"OWWW!! PAIN!!! OH THE PAIN!!!"  
  
Battousai sighed. (This is getting really stupid. . .)  
  
Rurouni just nodded because he had just stuffed his face with food.  
  
(Well at least it's interesting stupidity. . .)  
  
Everybody was quite as they ate, well. . expect for Sanosuke, who kept softly groaning from the bump on his head. All were lost in their thoughts.  
  
(I think we should find this Hiko guy.)  
  
Rurouni nodded again, face still stuffed with food.  
  
(And maybe we should even ask Kaoru. . .)  
  
Rurouni swallowed his food all down, very loudly. [Would it be wise to bring Kaoru-dono into this all?]  
  
Battousai grumbled, (That's what I'm trying to figure out. . .Her parents were in this after all. . .) his amber eyes flickered. (And if what we saw was true, it means we killed her father.)  
  
Rurouni let out a sigh. [This is not good. . .] he perked up a bit. [At least Enishi can't get in here anymore with the police watching it and everything. . .]  
  
(HA!!! Enishi can't get in here alive even without the police.) He grinned evilly. (For ya see. . . you've got ME around. . .haha. . .WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT????)  
  
The phone ringing scared Kenshin so much that he nearly fell out of his seat, and everybody just watched him as he cried out, "ORO!!!"  
  
Kenshin got up and picked up the phone. "Hello, Kamiya/Makimachi residence."  
  
"Hey there Battousai."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, and he whispered, ". . .Enishi?"  
  
"That's right. It's me. Thought you got rid of me didn't you?" the person on the other side of the line laughed.  
  
Kenshin smiled at everybody else who were now staring at him, and then he brang the wire-less phone into his room and he closed the door. His eyes turned amber, "What is it you want?"  
  
"I want to know if you can remember anything from the days of the Bakamatsu."  
  
Kenshin glared at an invisible person. "I wasn't part of the Bakamatsu. . ." he said, but his train of thoughts were, 'I mustn't let him know I'm a robot. . .'  
  
"Oh come now, Himura. You were alive during that time now weren't you? I would say you were . . . oh. . . fifteen?" Enishi snickered.  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed tightly. "Yes. . . I was fifteen. . ."  
  
(Better go with the flow, as I say. . .)  
  
"Well, I have reason to believe that you were the one who killed both of Kaoru's parents!"  
  
"I told you before," Kenshin said, his voice had a choking sound to it, "I wasn't there. I was. . .at school."  
  
"I dunno. . . I remember seeing you."  
  
"And how would you do that? You were only thirteen."  
  
"But how do you know that?" Enishi asked.  
  
Kenshin groaned, ". . . Saitoh Hajime told us." His head was throbbing suddenly and his heart was racing. Kenshin didn't feel too good. . .  
  
Enishi sighed, "Well, I guess I'm getting nowhere with you. . ."  
  
Kenshin was getting angry. "What was the point of you calling me anyway?"  
  
"Oh I dunno. . . I just wanted to talk."  
  
"No. You had a reason."  
  
Enishi smirked, "Well, if you must know, I was planning on making a day and time with you to have a fight."  
  
Kenshin growled, "There's no way I'm going to fight with you! You'd lose anyway."  
  
(Hey! Hey!!! HEY!!! I want some of this conversation too ya know!) Battousai yelled.  
  
Rurouni shook his head. [No way. . .]  
  
Enishi growled back, "Coward!"  
  
Kenshin's eyes had amber sparking through them. "FINE THEN!!! Bring it on!!!" his Battousai side cried.  
  
Rurouni gasped. [Oh no! Oh dear! Oh no!]  
  
Enishi smiled. "Ahhh. . . That sounds better. How about later on tonight. . . at midnight."  
  
"Name your place!" Kenshin growled.  
  
"The park. Deep in the forest."  
  
"You're on!" Kenshin hung up the phone and threw it into the wall on the other side of the room.  
  
On the other side of the line, Enishi smirked. 'It worked. So he is just like everybody said. Provoke him, anger him, and he'll fight with you. Heh.'  
  
Kenshin's eyes turned back to violet. He sighed, and fell onto his futon. 'Ohhh. . . what have I done. . .'  
  
A single tear fell down his cheek.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, and he touched the salty water with his hand. 'Is that. . . a tear?'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Oh YAY BABY!!! I hope this wasn't too short. . . Well. . I've been updating so much recently that it doesn't really matter. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
Chibi wants to hear the beautiful music of you pressing the 'submit review' buton!!! CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Author's Notes: Wow, I got a LOT of feedback for the last chappie, and . . . * sniff * Chibi is SO happy! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna- sama!!! Chibi is so proud. . . and just for all the wonderful reviews you gave me, I think I'll make this chapter EXTRA long. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Kenshin couldn't figure out why he had cried. The mystery hit him like nothing else had, and Kenshin couldn't get any sleep. It wasn't until eight that Kaoru checked on him.  
  
Kaoru walked into the dark room, where only one lone figure pretended to sleep on his futon. "Kenshin?"  
  
No reply.  
  
"Kenshin!"  
  
Still no reply.  
  
Kaoru frowned, getting really upset. "Kenshin Himura, you answer me right now!!!!"  
  
Kenshin turned around on the futon. "What is it, woman?" he asked, in that same, cold voice that he had the first time he met Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru got really angry at that. "Don't you DARE call me woman!! You know my name!!! It's KAORU!!! Kaoru KAMIYA!!! HELLO???"  
  
Kenshin sighed, and closed his eyes. ". . .I'm sorry Kaoru. I-I don't know what came over me."  
  
Kaoru softened at that. She walked over to the futon and got down on her knees. "Tell me what's wrong, Kenshin."  
  
Kenshin grumbled something under his breath.  
  
"What?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Kenshin sighed, "I said, do you know who Hiko Seijiro is?"  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. ". . .Yes I do."  
  
Kenshin nearly smiled. "Can you tell me who he is?"  
  
Kaoru thought carefully about her words, "Well. . . First of all, I don't know much about him, but I do know that everybody in town believes he's a crazy old man who stays up all night working on creating different things.  
  
"The only way I know him is when he helped me put you together. You see, he gave me all your body parts, and it was him and him only that made you come to life. He gave you a heart, and a brain, Kenshin. Freaky, isn't it?" Kaoru finished.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened at her story. "He. . .he helped you make me?" he asked.  
  
Kaoru nodded.  
  
Kenshin looked down at the floor. "I see. . ."  
  
"Why, what do you have with Hiko Seijiro?" Kaoru asked. "Do you know him personally?"  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes once more. "I think. . . at one time. . . I did know him. I had memories of him, when I was a boy." He opened his eyes. "But how can that be? I was never a little boy."  
  
Kaoru frowned. "I don't, Kenshin. I really don't know."  
  
Kenshin sighed, and rolled over so his back was facing Kaoru. "Thanks for the information Kaoru. Goodnight."  
  
Kaoru climbed over him and got right in his face. "Hey, hey, HEY mister!!! Don't turn away from me like that!"  
  
Kenshin nearly smiled and rolled over to the other side.  
  
Kaoru climbed over him again and got right in his face once more. "Kenshin!"  
  
Kenshin rolled over again and again, and Kaoru chased after him. By now, Kenshin was giggling like a little girl playing with her dolly.  
  
Kaoru was very ticked off by all this. "Kenshin!. . . Kenshin!!!. . . Stop it!!! Kenshin would you listen to me??? . . . Kenshin!!! . . . hello??"  
  
Kenshin frowned up at her, "Oh be quiet would you? I'm trying to get some sleep!!!" he rolled over again and stayed there. Kaoru got right up in his face again.  
  
"I want to know what your problem is, and I won't be quiet until you tell me!!!" she yelled in his face.  
  
Kenshin smirked. "I know what WILL get you to be quiet."  
  
(Watch the pro, Rurouni. . .) Battousai snickered.  
  
Kaoru smiled, "Oh yah? And how's that?"  
  
Kenshin just said, "Like this," before he brushed his lips against Kaoru's. 'This might be the first and last kiss we ever get, so I better spend my time wisely. . .'  
  
Rurouni nodded. [Enishi will KILL us. . . ] then he added, weakly, [De gozaru yo.]  
  
Battousai just rolled his eyes.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. 'He's kissing me!' her mind screamed. 'Get him off!!!' but then something clicked in her mind. 'His lips are so warm. . . so soft. . . but how can that be? He's a robot. . . right?'  
  
Their kiss was a soft one, but passionate. Kaoru had to lie down next to Kenshin on the futon in order to get closer to him; and get out of an uncomfortable position.  
  
Kenshin cut off the kiss after what seemed like an eternity. He smiled. "See. . . you're quiet."  
  
Kaoru touched her lips with two of her fingers, then quietly giggled for a few moments. "Wh. . . why did you do that?"  
  
Kenshin cocked his head. "Because I wanted you to be quiet. . .?"  
  
"Other then that."  
  
Kenshin sighed, and closed his eyes. "I. . . I don't know why exactly. I-I don't want to talk about it. I don't feel good. . ."  
  
Kaoru pouted. "Aww. . . please tell me. . ."  
  
Kenshin turned away, as if he was playing some kind of hide and seek game.  
  
Kaoru pulled him back to facing her. She smiled, "I'll do a magic trick, Kenshin, that will make you feel much better. Just close your eyes."  
  
Kenshin frowned at her, then calmed down and closed his eyes. What came next was very unexpected, but not a bad thing.  
  
Kaoru had pressed her lips against his, asking for another kiss. And oh boy, Kenshin wanted to do more then that.  
  
'Where are these feelings coming from anyway?' he thought.  
  
Rurouni had glasses on as he read in a book called 'Dictionary of Humans'. [Well, it says here, that those weird feelings we're having right now are called our hormones.]  
  
Battousai snickered.  
  
Kenshin frowned as he thought, 'What's THAT one from????' something didn't feel right. . .  
  
Battousai snicker got louder. (THAT, my boy. . . is called being 'aroused'.) he laughed.  
  
Kenshin blushed, but still continued to kiss Kaoru. ((AN: NOTHING HAPPENS!! Just kissing, okay? Okay.))  
  
Meanwhile, from the open door, Sanosuke and Misao watched them. "This is TOO good. . .Do you think they're in love?" Sanosuke asked.  
  
Misao punched him in the head. "Isn't it obvious you idiot???" she turned back to the kissing couple and got serious. "But I don't know about Kenshin. There's something about him that seems. . . inhuman."  
  
Sanosuke laughed. "Well, it's not like he's a robot or something!"  
  
~*~  
  
Midnight came so quickly, that Kenshin didn't know it was happening. He was planning out his battle with Enishi. 'Hmmm. . . I need a weapon. . . Maybe some sword shops are still open. . .'  
  
Kenshin sneaked out of the house, when everybody had gone to sleep. He made sure especially that Kaoru was asleep, still on his futon, before he left the house. He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Kaoru, but I have to leave you now," he whispered.  
  
He went over to the shops in town, but none of them were opened. 'Maybe Enishi is a nice guy and he gives his opponent a weapon. . .'  
  
(I highly doubt it. . .)  
  
Rurouni nodded.  
  
Kenshin sighed. 'Well. . . better get going to the park. . .' he ran, like a mouse, to the park, and went into the woodsy area. Sure enough, there stood Enishi, with that evil smirk on his face.  
  
"So you decided to come, eh?"  
  
Kenshin frowned.  
  
Enishi looked him over. "You decided to come with no weapon?" he laughed. "I thought as much. Here, catch." He threw a katana at the ground where Kenshin stood. "It won't be a real fight unless you have a sword. Otherwise, I'd kill you instantly."  
  
Kenshin picked up the katana, and unsheathed it, and watched as Enishi did the same with his sword. "If you want to taste the ground, feel free to attack me."  
  
Enishi laughed. "Bring it on, Battousai."  
  
Kenshin frowned at him. ". . . What did you just call me?"  
  
"Battousai. I recognized you from the start. You're the Hitokiri Battousai, the manslayer. But you won't slay this man! NO! This man will slay YOU!!" Enishi charged with his katana raised high over his head.  
  
Kenshin looked up.  
  
[What do I do. . . WHAT DO I DO???] Rurouni screamed.  
  
Battousai smirked, (Relax. . . leave it all to me.)  
  
Kenshin glared at the sword coming towards his head, and immediately his eyes converted from fragile violet to deep, hard core amber. He blocked Enishi's attack with his sword, tilted to the right above his head. Enishi's sword pushed Kenshin's sword down, so of course, Kenshin moved to his left and raised his katana, nearly cutting off his ear, but, like a professional, missed it just barely.  
  
Kenshin raised his katana and struck down at Enishi. Enishi stepped back with his right leg and blocked it. Both men were furious, but not furious enough to make this a real fight.  
  
The battle continued, strike, block, strike, block, strike block. It kept going on and on, and Kenshin was starting to tire down. 'Why oh WHY did he have to pick the hour late at night???'  
  
Battousai winced. (He knew we'd be weaker at night. . .)  
  
Kenshin thought for a moment, as he and Enishi stepped back to take a breath. 'Weaker at night. . . that's not necessarily true.' His mind scanned all the information he knew about Japan's history. 'Aha. Found it. Battousai was known for his killings at night, and how he was like a panther in the darkness.'  
  
Battousai grinned, (Yah, well, maybe Battousai was but. . .) he caught himself. (Hey. . . my name is Battousai. . .)  
  
Rurouni raised an eyebrow. [You're just now realizing this?]  
  
(Shut up!)  
  
[ORO!]  
  
Enishi breathed heavily. He grinned and chuckled. "This is getting nowhere. So I suppose I'll just have to call on one of my pets. . ." but he was interrupted.  
  
A bone chilling voice filled the air, with no other emotion then anger. "I told you before, Yukishiro, I am NOT your pet." The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows of the trees. "Come now Battousai, it's my turn."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. ". . . Saitoh Hajime. . ."  
  
Saitoh grinned. "That's right." Then he turned serious and frowned, "I will finally defeat you, Battousai!!! After ten years of waiting for you to return, here you are!!! And I can finally kill you!!"  
  
Kenshin frowned. "No. . . You've got me mixed up with somebody else. I'm not the Hitokiri Battousai."  
  
Saitoh glared daggers at him. "Oh really? You sure look like Battousai to me. Your name is Kenshin Himura, correct?"  
  
Kenshin gulped, and nodded.  
  
"Then you are the Battousai." Then he grinned. "But I will fight you, JUST to make sure."  
  
Kenshin growled at the back of his throat, and raised his katana into a 'shomen' position. He tucked his chin into his chest, and whispered, "Come."  
  
Before Kenshin knew it was happening, another memory flashed before his eyes.  
  
(Awwwwwwww damnit, not AGAIN!!!)  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
A man with black hair, amber wolf-like eyes wore a green with white stripes like daggers on each sleeve, raised his katana. He was apparently one of the Shinsen-gumi. "Finally. . . I have met you, Battousai. And now, I will defeat you!"  
  
Kenshin recognized this man. That was Saitoh.  
  
"Hn. Very well, I'll fight you, but I take you for pity." Said another voice. . . Kenshin's voice. No. . . it wasn't Kenshin's voice. . . it was. . . Battousai.  
  
Saitoh growled at him. "DIE!!! BATTOUSAI!!!" he charged at Battousai with his sword pointed straight at him, with Saitoh's fingers on the flat side of the blade, as if to push it more. Saitoh moved with incredible speed, but it couldn't match the Battousai's speed.  
  
Battousai dodged him, and Saitoh's eyes widened. Battousai was the only one who could dodge that attack. Battousai raised his sword, and his amber eyes widened with anger. The sword was just about to connect with Saitoh's head, when an alarm went off, and many police officers with guns ran towards them.  
  
"Stop your fighting!!!" they yelled, and threatened them with their guns.  
  
Battousai smirked, 'Ha. Leave it to the local police to ruin my fun.' He turned to Saitoh, and said, "We'll meet again."  
  
Saitoh nodded, "Oh I'm sure we will." Then he thought, 'Battousai let a fight down just by some puny police?'  
  
Battousai started to walk away, until he suddenly practically flew around and slashed angrily at the police.  
  
Five seconds ago, there were eight police total.  
  
Right now. . . .zero.  
  
Saitoh watched as Battousai wiped the blood from his sword, looked at Saitoh with those piercing amber eyes, then ran off into the night.  
  
Saitoh smirked, "Yes, I dare say we'll meet again. And next time I will defeat you, Battousai."  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Kenshin fell to his knees, and Saitoh and Enishi watched him, very confused. Kenshin breathed heavily. 'I did not just see that. . . I didn't. . .'  
  
Enishi raised an eyebrow, and whispered to Saitoh, "What the heck is his problem?"  
  
Saitoh shrugged. "I don't know. . ."  
  
Kenshin finally stood back up, and, with gleaming, piercing amber eyes he finally realized he needed to take these memories into full swing, and Saitoh smiled at his words. "Yes. I am the Hitokiri Battousai, and I will fight you again, Saitoh Hajime!"  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Sorry if it was a little confusing. . . GOMEN!!! * smiles evilly * Yup. . . I got some romance, AND some action at the same time in ONE chapter!!! OH YAH BABY!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think, minna-sama!!! Please no flames. . . * whimper * in case you were wondering, I practice kendo myself, so I'M COOL!!! . . .ahem. . .  
  
Chibi wants to hear the beautiful music of you pressing the 'submit review' button!!!  
  
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	12. Chapter Twelve

Author's Notes: Okay well I've been getting a lot of feedback saying that there is a lot of suspense in my story. . . really? I never thought I could write a mystery novel. . . REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama!!! I think I want to try this story, (when it's all finished) with a fanfiction contest. If anybody knows one with RK then could you please let me know? Thanks!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
Houndingwolf : Hey, you know what? I really have NO idea where Kenshin was and where Saitoh was. . . but I DO know that Saitoh was with the people who wore the green gi's with the weird white stripes, and last time I watched RK was with Kenshin battling with people with those clothes. Maybe I got the names mixed up. . . If I did, would somebody inform me? Oh well, otherwise, just forget that kinda stuff. It's MY fic. ^_^; Thank you for reviewing!  
  
Hakaita: I didn't say YOU were in seventh grade, I said I was. I was assuming you were older then me. Are you in seventh grade? Cuz if you are, * coughs * YOU MY LONG LOST SISTER THAT I NEVER HAD OR SOMETHING?! Lol. (laugh out loud) Thanks for reviewing, and I love your story so far!  
  
Brittanie Love: Hey girl, thanks for reviewing!!! Your stories rock so far, you NEED to update SOON!!! Lol  
  
Okay enough of this. . .  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Kaoru's eyes fluttered open. 'Ew. . . what a bad nightmare. Poor Kenshin was fighting Saitoh and Enishi! Good thing he's here with me. . .' she felt around the futon and her eyes widened. "Kenshin?"  
  
She ran around the apartment in her pajama's. "Kenshin?. . . Kenshin? . . . Kenshin where are you?" she checked in Misao's room, but he wasn't there. She checked in Sano's room, but even Sano wasn't there! "Sanosuke? Can anybody hear me?" Kaoru had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was just not right.  
  
Misao woke up. "What's all the racket Kaoru-chan?" she asked, sleepily.  
  
Kaoru looked worriedly at her "Kenshin and Sanosuke are missing!"  
  
"Well, they might be out gambling or something. . . doing boy-stuff. . . I don't know. . ."  
  
Kaoru groaned, "But. . . but I had this nightmare that Kenshin was battling Saitoh! And. . .and Saitoh was killing him!"  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow. "But that's just a nightmare, he can't be really battling Saitoh, now can he? Besides! Saitoh is our friend, if not ally!"  
  
Kaoru looked around the room again. "I don't know. Something about Saitoh gave me the chills. . ." She turned back to Misao. "I need to go find them!"  
  
Misao frowned at her, "Then I'm coming with you!"  
  
Kaoru smiled weakly. "Thanks Misao-chan. . ." they both got ready to go outside. They nodded at each other, then walked out the door. They ran over to town, and Kaoru bumped into someone.  
  
"OUCH!!!"  
  
"AHH!!!"  
  
"What the heck were you thinking? Running around like that. . ." Said a male voice.  
  
Kaoru gasped. 'I know that voice. . .' "Sanosuke?" she asked.  
  
Sano walked into the light of a street lamp. "Jou-chan? Weasel? What are you two doing out this late at night?"-there was a frown from Misao at the sound of her nickname, 'weasel'.  
  
Kaoru frowned, "We're looking for Kenshin!"  
  
Sano scratched the back of his head. "Oh. I was uhh. . . meeting with an old friend. . ." he couldn't tell them he was gambling. . .  
  
Misao frowned at him, "You were gambling Sanosuke, admit it!"  
  
Sanosuke sighed, "Alright. . . alright. . . I was gambling. . ." then he looked up. "Kenshin's missing?"  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
Sanosuke scratched the back of his head again. "I have no idea where he is. . ."  
  
The girls sighed.  
  
"But we might as well start looking!" he smiled.  
  
The girls smiled back. Misao punched the air. "Yah!!! We'll find him!"  
  
Kaoru frowned over at her, "Let's go. Sanosuke, you check around town, Misao, you keep checking at the apartment in case he comes back, and I'll go check the park."  
  
The other two nodded, and ran off in search of Kenshin. Kaoru took a deep breath, then ran over to the park. "Kenshin? . . . Kenshin? Hey Kenshin where are you? Kenshin?" she called.  
  
She sighed, and put her hands on her knees. 'I'll never find him in this woods!' her mind screamed. But she knew she had to keep going. She ran deeper and deeper into the woods. "KENSHIN!!!" she screamed. 'He's probably not in here. . .' she thought, sadly.  
  
It was then that she heard swords clashing together.  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin breathed heavily. 'He's fast. . .' he thought.  
  
Saitoh tucked his chin into his chest, his sword out and ready to taste blood, ready to have a second round with Kenshin.  
  
The fight had already begun, but it hadn't gotten anywhere but worse for Kenshin. Kenshin sighed, and stood back up. He had to win this fight.  
  
Rurouni was crying in a corner, while Battousai was punching at a punching-bag, amber eyes furious. (He's too fast for my money!) He shouted.  
  
Enishi watched from five feet away. He smiled and snickered.  
  
Kenshin pointed his katana at Saitoh's heart and glared at him. "I don't remember much from being Hitokiri Battousai. I don't know why, but I do know I must defeat you tonight no matter what!"  
  
They charged once more, Saitoh with his usual sword pointing straight with his hand on it, Kenshin ready to block, and then strike. Saitoh moved so quickly that Kenshin could barely see him.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened as he realized he could not dodge this attack all the way. He moved to the left, just in time before he could have been cut in half. Instead, Saitoh's sword cut into his right side, just barely.  
  
Kenshin turned around to glare at Saitoh, but then he saw the weird look Saitoh was giving him. Kenshin looked down to his right side, and his eyes widened. No blood came out. All you could see was some kind of metal, and circuits, with electricity flying through them. Kenshin's cut was only two inches long, but you could still see his robotic parts because of Kenshin's torn clothing.  
  
Saitoh looked from Kenshin's face to his cut, then back again. "Are you. . . are you human?" he asked, in a voice that was way out of character for him. He had never seen anything like this before.  
  
Enishi's mouth twitched. 'There's something you don't see everyday. . .'  
  
Kenshin gulped. ". . . I don't know. I honestly don't know. . ."  
  
Saitoh frowned, "Well, no matter what you are, I will defeat you!" he charged again, and Kenshin was starting to get really tired.  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru ran to the sound of the swords clashing together. She sneaked behind a bush to see a clearing. In the clearing, Kenshin and Saitoh were in a death-match, and Enishi was standing five feet behind them, grinning.  
  
Kaoru noticed a small cut on Kenshin's right side, and saw sparks flowing through it. 'He is a robot after all. . .' she thought, but it still looked very weird. He looked so human!  
  
Kaoru watched them, trying to kill each other, and she remembered her dream. 'It's just like my dream!' she thought. She saw Kenshin's amber eyes. 'Now I really want to know Hiko Seijiro more. . .' she thought sadly.  
  
'This can't go on,' she thought about it some more. 'They're fighting so hard! They'll kill each other! Kenshin will kill a human being, and Saitoh will kill a robot! I have to stop this. . .' she hated to watch them fight, and she couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"STOP!!!"  
  
The three men turned to see Kaoru. Kenshin's eyes widened the most.  
  
"Kaoru! What are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
Kaoru let a tear roll down her face. "Stop your fighting, please! The Bakamatsu is long over! There is no need to fight anymore!"  
  
Saitoh grunted. "And how are you going to stop us?"  
  
~*~  
  
Misao ran all the way around the apartment, but she still couldn't find Kenshin. "HIMURA??? HIMURA????" she screamed. She sighed, and decided to find Kaoru. She headed for the park.  
  
Misao heard Kaoru's scream, "STOP!!!" and she decided that was where they were. She ran to the clearing, and saw everything. She glared, angrily at Saitoh, and pulled out the kunai from her gi. "I'll stop you!" she shouted.  
  
Everybody turned to her.  
  
Enishi snorted, "This is definitely getting weird. . ." he grumbled.  
  
Saitoh smirked at the headstrong girl. "Take your best shot. I'll stand right here." He dared her.  
  
Misao nodded, and threw her kunai at Saitoh. Each one missed him by a centimeter, except one. One of the kunai sliced through the top of his shoulder.  
  
Saitoh smiled. "You're good, but not quite good enough. That kunai should have been aimed at my heart, but it wasn't. That shows your weakness. You didn't want to hurt me."  
  
Misao hissed at him like a cat.  
  
Saitoh nodded, and ignored the small seeps of blood coming from his shoulder. "Very well, we'll leave. Won't we, Yukishiro?"  
  
Enishi snapped out of his daze. "Oh yes." He looked at Kenshin. "We'll have to finish this battle some other time, Hitokiri Battousai." He had Saitoh vanished into the night.  
  
Misao sighed. "Well, I better go find Sanosuke. Meet you two at the apartment." She didn't even notice was Enishi had called Kenshin, or the cut on his side since he was covering it with his hand. She walked away from the woods.  
  
Misao might have missed Kenshin's nickname, but Kaoru sure didn't. "Hito. . .kiri. . . Battousai?" she asked.  
  
Kenshin looked at the ground at his feet.  
  
Kaoru's mind had to process this through. 'Hitokiri Battousai is the man who killed my parents. . . . Enishi just called Kenshin that. . . but how. . .how. . .' she looked up at Kenshin, who had a guilty look on his face. "Y-You were the one who killed my parents?"  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: I know, I know. . . Chibi needs to work on battles a bit more. GOMEN!!! In time, when Chibi is better at writing battles, she will make this one better. * sigh * REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please tell me what you think, minna-sama!  
  
Chibi wants to hear the beautiful music of you pressing the 'submit review' button.  
  
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	13. Chapter Thirteen

Author's Notes: Well, here we go. . . chapter 13!!! WOOHOOO!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama!!! Geesh. . . I feel like I'm writing a soap-opera. . . Please be sure to listen to a VERY sad song while reading this, otherwise, the drama won't work for ya. * evil grin * I TOLD you this was an angsty fic, but NO. It had to be Humor. . .  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
Houndingwolf: Hey, thank you SO much for the info, I will as soon as possible change Battousai and Saitoh around. ^_^ I know the whole 'Tomoe' story, I've watched three of the OAV's and about half of the episodes(till he defeats Shishio that's it) Thank you for Saitoh's sword technique name!!! ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!! Oh and all the Okita stuff. . . well. . . this is an alternate universe of Kenshin, so. . . FORGET THAT STUFF!! * laughs * Oh and uhh. . . everything you know about Soujiro Seta (except for his bad family-past) FORGET IT ALSO!!! Lol-(laugh out loud)  
  
Enough of this. . .  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Kenshin didn't want to look at her. He just couldn't. How could he tell her that he was the one who had killed her father? And what about her mother?  
  
Kaoru gulped loudly, trying to push away the tears that were stinging her eyes. "Y-You were the one who killed my parents?" she asked again.  
  
Kenshin shaded his eyes with his long red bangs.  
  
"Answer me Kenshin! Were you?"  
  
Kaoru listened to the words that came from Kenshin's mouth, who still looked away from her, "That's right. . . Hitokiri Battousai killed your father. I can see it, perfectly. . . like a movie. It was me, I was the Hitokiri Battousai. I don't know how I could possibly be him, though. I just. . . I just don't know. You have to understand Kaoru, it was a war. . . I was a soldier. . . your father was a soldier. . . I was fighting for what I believed, at least, I think so. . ." he finally looked up at her. "But I did not kill your mother! It was. . . somebody else."  
  
Kaoru watched Kenshin looked back down. 'Just a soldier. . . . he killed my father. . . he didn't kill my mother. . . is he telling the truth?' her mind rolled with questions, but she decided to trust Kenshin.  
  
She walked over to him, and threw her arms around Kenshin. "I understand," she whispered. ((AN: You have to remember that it was Kaoru who let Kenshin into her dojo, even after everything he had done in the past. Don't hurt me! * whimper * ))  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, and he put his arms around her tightly, never wanting to let go. "I'm sorry Kaoru. . . I've caused you pain. . ." he whispered back.  
  
Kaoru buried her face into his chest. They stood there for a few moments, as the wind flew past them. Kaoru's eyes widened as she felt a wet spot on her shoulder. 'What's that?' she thought.  
  
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin to see that tears were falling from his eyes. "Ken-Kenshin?" she whispered.  
  
Kenshin couldn't stop the tears. He just couldn't. He knew he had to be strong, that he couldn't be weak, and just cry like that, but he enjoyed the feeling. He enjoyed crying. He had never done it before.  
  
Kaoru just watched, paralyzed, as Kenshin cried tear after tear, until his whole face was streaming with them. His cries turned into sobs, and Kenshin closed his eyes.  
  
It was then that it hit him, all his memories returned to him. Everything. All those people he killed; all those bitter words he had said. 'Blood. . . blood. . . everywhere. . .' he thought. Kenshin felt like a thousand tons had just been put onto his shoulders, and he had been carrying it for years and years. Kenshin just couldn't hold it anymore.  
  
Kenshin fell to his knees, his sobs growing louder and louder. He cried into the ground where Kaoru stood.  
  
Kaoru didn't know what to say. 'He's crying. A robot. . . is crying. Is he really a robot?' she wondered.  
  
"I can't stop them," Kenshin said between sobs. "I can't stop the tears!"  
  
Kaoru got down on her knees, and hugged Kenshin tighter then ever, and let her own tears fall. "Kenshin. . . Kenshin please. . . please calm down." She knew it wouldn't work.  
  
~*~  
  
Somebody watched them in the shadows. A smile was plastered on his face. He wasn't smiling at somebody crying, he just couldn't stop smiling. He had been smiling forever it seemed. 'Those two people. . . why are they crying? They woke me up from my sleep. . .' he thought. Why was he asleep in the woods? Well. . . he's just your typical Rurouni. . . .right?  
  
'Maybe I ought to find out,' he thought against it, 'Or I should just leave them be. . .' he sighed. 'I have to atone for my sins. I ought to help everybody I can. Maybe they have the answers I search for. . .'  
  
The person stepped from the shadows of the woods to reveal himself. He had raven black hair, deep puddles of blue eyes, a girlish pale face, a blue hakama and gi, just like the old Japanese. He wasn't your modern man.  
  
He walked over to the hugging couple. "Can I help you two?" he asked.  
  
Kaoru looked up at him. 'Who is he?' she wondered.  
  
Kenshin meanwhile, didn't care. He couldn't stop crying.  
  
Kaoru looked at the man curiously. "Who are you?" she asked.  
  
The man's smile grew larger. "My name is Seta Soujiro."  
  
~*~ ((AN: Down fangirls, DOWN! ^_^;))  
  
Misao ran back to the woods, huffing and puffing, saw Kenshin and Kaoru, and grabbed them. "C'mon you guys!!! Sanosuke needs some help!!!"  
  
Without thinking, Kenshin and Kaoru tried to follow. Soujiro watched them, and decided to follow.  
  
They all ran over to town where Sanosuke was running around wildly with something in his arms. Kaoru asked, "What is it, Sanosuke?"  
  
Sanosuke huffed, "I found this little boy on the street crying! He's badly hurt; we need a doctor or he'll die of blood loss!" they could see his shirt was covered in blood.  
  
Kaoru smiled, 'Leave it to Sanosuke. He's tough on the outside, with a soft heart on the inside.  
  
Soujiro thought for a moment. "I know one!" he said.  
  
Everybody turned to him. Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. "Who the heck is he?" he asked.  
  
Soujiro just smiled, though. "My name is Seta Soujiro, and I can show you where a doctor is."  
  
Sanosuke nodded, "Thanks buddy. Lead the way!"  
  
Soujiro nodded back. "Follow me!" he ran down a street or two until he cam to a door and knocked politely on it.  
  
An old man opened the door. "Yes, what can I do for you? It's late at night!"  
  
Soujiro smiled at the old man, "We have an injured boy who must be helped or she won't make the night."  
  
The old man looked at the boy in Sanosuke's arms, and nodded. "Come in! I don't usually do this often, but from the looks of that boy, he must be helped by somebody."  
  
Everybody walked in, thankful for the light overhead, and Sanosuke put the boy on a bed. Everybody else sat in a chair. Soujiro kept smiling, "Thank you, you're a kind heart."  
  
The man smiled back. "Anything for a patient. My name is Dr. Genzai."  
  
Sanosuke nodded, "Thanks pops."  
  
Suddenly a woman stormed into the room. "What's going on in here?" she asked.  
  
Dr. Genzai turned to her, "Ah, Megumi. We have a patient."  
  
The woman named Megumi huffed, "At this time of night?" she looked at the little boy, then at the crowd of people who sat in chairs. "Very well. . ."  
  
Sanosuke looked Megumi over. 'Woah. . .' he thought.  
  
Megumi smiled at them all. "If you'd all just please step into the other room, we may proceed with the patient. . .?"  
  
Everybody nodded and walked into the other room at sat down in the chairs. Sanosuke turned to Soujiro. "So mister Soujiro, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?"  
  
Soujiro just smiled at him. "Well, I'm just a Rurouni passing by, looking for the answers to my questions. . ." ((AN: I know that Kenshin was the one who helped Soujiro realize his need to be a Rurouni, but just ignore that for now, okay? Okay.))  
  
Kenshin nodded, understanding; his tears had finally ceased.  
  
Kaoru smiled back at Soujiro. "You're a Rurouni? What questions do you have that you must seek answers for?"  
  
Soujiro blushed. "Well, one question of mine is where I can find. . . true love. . ."  
  
Everybody smiled at this. Sanosuke laughed, "Well I dunno about Tokyo. . . it's a big place. . ."  
  
Everybody else nodded.  
  
Soujiro just smiled. He looked at Kaoru and Kenshin, and he could tell they were in love. He looked at Sanosuke, and he could tell he liked Megumi. Soujiro just had an eye for these things. The only thing he couldn't see was his own true love. He looked at Misao.  
  
Misao sat there, unlady-like, smiling and giggling. She sure was pretty. . .even from running all over town all night, she still shown like a star in Soujiro's eyes. 'She's beautiful. . .' he thought.  
  
Kenshin sighed. "Well, now all we have to do is wait for the little boy to recover, and then we can go home. . ."  
  
Kaoru looked at him, "But where will the little boy stay?"  
  
Everybody thought about this.  
  
Sanosuke smiled, "He could stay here with Dr. Genzai and Megumi!"  
  
Kaoru frowned at him. "And just leave him to Dr. Genzai's care? Like dumping the boy on him?"  
  
Sanosuke sighed.  
  
All they could do was wait, each of them stirred in their own thoughts, Sanosuke trying to figure out where the boy could go, Kenshin thinking about his days as the Battousai since all his memories had been restored, or at least, almost all of them, Kaoru was wondering about Kenshin, Soujiro was thinking just how beautiful Misao was and if she had a boyfriend or not, and Misao was thinking why on earth was he staring at her.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: I realize this was a bit short, GOMEN! I've been trying. . . REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! * has 'Utena' theme song in head * lalalala. . .lalalala. . .lalalala. . .  
  
Chibi wants to hear the beautiful music of you pressing the 'submit review' button!  
  
CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Author's Notes: Hey there!!! Not much to say, just REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
The 'Kenshin-gumi' had fallen asleep in their chairs, until finally Kenshin was woken by Megumi the next morning. Kenshin raised an eyebrow, "Oro?" he asked.  
  
Megumi smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Megumi Takani. What's your name?"  
  
Kenshin looked around at everybody else who was asleep. "Uhh. . . Kenshin Himura."  
  
Megumi suddenly had fox ears and a fox tail. "Well, Ken-san, do you mind if I call you Ken-san?" she didn't wait for a reply, "Oh Ken-san I'm sure we're going to be such great friends!!!" she laughed, "Ohohohohohoho!"  
  
Kenshin raised both eyebrows. (Okay, there's something wrong with this girl. . .)  
  
Rurouni frowned at him. [She's just. . . boy-crazy I guess. . .]  
  
(You guess?!?!?! LOOK AT HER!!!! What a babe! Of COURSE she's boy- crazy!)  
  
Kenshin sighed, "How is the little boy?" he asked, trying to change the subject and ignoring his inside battles.  
  
Megumi's fox ears and foxtail immediately went away. "Oh yes, him. He's fine. He only had a few cuts on his back that were quite long." She sighed, "Poor thing must have been tortured or something. . ."  
  
Kenshin frowned, "Who would do that to a child?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Megumi looked at Kaoru, who was asleep on Kenshin's shoulder. "Who's she?" Megumi asked with disgust.  
  
Kenshin looked over at Kaoru. "Oh, this is Kaoru Kamiya. The girl over there is Misao Makimachi, the tall man over there is Sanosuke Sagara, and the man over there is Soujiro Seta."  
  
Megumi looked at Soujiro. "That's a man?" she asked.  
  
Kenshin blushed and said, "Oro. . .yes he's a man. . ."  
  
"Oh. I thought he was a girl. . ."  
  
Kenshin blushed more.  
  
It was at that moment that Soujiro woke up, and immediately plastered a smile on his face. "Good morning!" he said. He looked around. "How is the little boy?"  
  
Megumi tried to smile at him, "Oh. . .uhh. . . he's recovering quickly. . ."  
  
Soujiro's smile widened. "That's wonderful!"  
  
Kenshin shook Kaoru gently. "Kaoru. . . Kaoru. . . wake up. . ."  
  
Kaoru opened her eyes. "Oh. . . morning already?"  
  
They went around and woke everybody up, then went to the other room where the little boy lay asleep. They all looked at him. He had black-brown hair, was wearing a yellow gi and a green hakama, which looked like Megumi had just cleaned. His eyes were shut closed, since he was still asleep.  
  
Sanosuke walked over to the little boy and shook his shoulder. "Oi. . . Kid. . . wake up. . ." he said.  
  
The boy stirred, and opened his eyes. "Wha. . ." his eyes opened wide and he sat right up. "WHERE THE HECK AM I?!?!?!?" he screamed.  
  
Sanosuke grabbed his shoulder. "It's okay kid. . . you're with us now. It's okay. . ."  
  
The boy looked up at Sanosuke and frowned, "Who are you?" he asked.  
  
Sanosuke grinned, "The name's Sanosuke Sagara, but you can call me Sano."  
  
The boy nodded, and looked around at everybody, who told them their names. The boy nodded again.  
  
Kenshin stepped forward and asked, "What's your name and what happened to you?"  
  
The boy looked down at his hands. "Well. . . there are these punks. They beat me up really bad. See, I owe them a lot of money, so I have to steal for them. I hate to steal from people. . . it's not good. So one day I cam to them with no money, and. . . they beat me up." His bangs shielded his eyes, pierced with tears.  
  
Kenshin walked over to the right side of the bed, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I see. What's your name?"  
  
The boy looked up at Kenshin and said, "Yahiko Miogi, the greatest swordsman ever!"  
  
~*~  
  
Enishi smiled, "Hello there big-sister, how are you today?" he looked down at her as she rested on her bed.  
  
Tomoe smiled up at Enishi. "I'm actually doing much better today, thank you Enishi. But where have you been lately?" she asked in that smooth, silky voice she always has.  
  
Enishi sat on the bed. "I've been out doing business with the Hitokiri Battousai, that's all."  
  
Tomoe's smile turned into a frown. "You know that's dangerous, little brother. Playing with the Battousai. You don't want something to happen to you like Father."  
  
Enishi shook his head. "No. I'm stronger then Father. I won't loose."  
  
Tomoe looked away from Enishi, with a mixed look on her face, trying to think of what to do next.  
  
"Enishi?" asked a voice from the door.  
  
Enishi turned to see a girl standing there. He smiled, "Oh!!! Utena, there you are, darling." He stood up and walked over to Utena and kissed her right on the lips, and ran his hands through her unusual long pink hair.  
  
Utena giggled, her bright baby blue eyes dancing with laughter. "Oh Enishi. . .you devil. . ." she said. She looked over at Tomoe and walked to her. "Hey To-chan, I've got some medicine for you," she smiled and handed Tomoe two little tablets and a glass of water.  
  
Tomoe looked at the tablets and smiled. "Thank you Uten-chan. You're sure these will help?" she asked.  
  
Utena nodded.  
  
Tomoe gulped the tablets down and sipped from the water. "Thanks. . ."  
  
Enishi watched with concern. 'Just what ARE those tablets Utena gives her everyday. . .' he wondered. But he didn't think about it too much.  
  
Enishi smiled at Utena. "Well darling? I told you I would take you out today, didn't I?" he asked.  
  
Utena smiled back at Enishi. "Yes of course honey-bunny!" ((AN: Don't worry, you'll grow sick of Utena in GOOD time. . .buwahahah. . .^_^;))  
  
Enishi nodded, "Come on then!" he turned to look at Tomoe. "See you later Tomoe!" he called.  
  
Tomoe smiled weakly and watched as Enishi shut the door behind him. She frowned. 'I don't feel good. . .' she thought. She looked at the glass of water that was sitting on the table beside the bed. 'Utena. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru laughed at what the boy had said. "The greatest swordsman ever? In your dreams! I bet you can barely even swing!"  
  
Yahiko frowned at her. "And what would an ugly girl like yourself know about swords???"  
  
Kaoru frowned back, "Who are you calling ugly?"  
  
"Gee. . . who else?"  
  
Megumi over-exasperated her gasp of anger, which made Sanosuke snicker.  
  
"I'm amazed at you, Yahiko-chan; you have NO manners at all!!!" Kaoru shouted.  
  
Yahiko sat up straight, "Don't call me chan!!"  
  
Kaoru smiled wickedly. "Oh? So you don't like being called chan, eh? Yahiko-CHAN!!!"  
  
Yahiko growled.  
  
Kaoru growled.  
  
Yahiko glared.  
  
Kaoru glared.  
  
Everybody just watched the battle go back and forth. Soujiro smiled weakly and scratched the back of his head, "Oh dear. . ."  
  
Sanosuke broke up the fight. "Alright you two. . .alright!" he coughed, "I've been thinking on where you should go, kid. I decided that you should come live with us."  
  
Kaoru turned and glared at him. "WHO EVEN SAID (YOU) WERE LIVING WITH ME?!?!?!?!?!?!??!"  
  
Kenshin screamed out, "ORO!"  
  
Yahiko got out of his bed, "There's NO WAY I'm living with this. . . this BUSU!!!" he winced at the pain coming from his back, and Megumi tried to get him back on the bed, but he pushed her back.  
  
The group's screams of anger could be heard from miles around.  
  
"THERE IS NO WAY YOU COULD COME LIVE WITH ME, YAHIKO-CHAN!!!!"  
  
"I'D NEVER WANT TO!!! AND DON'T CALL ME CHAN, BUSU!!!"  
  
"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?"  
  
"WHO WOULD WANT TO LIVE WITH AN UGLY GIRL? NO, NOT AN UGLY GIRL!!! AN UGLY, UGLY, RACOOOOOON!!!!"  
  
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!! I OUGHT TO BEAT THE LIVING STUFFING OUT OF YOU!!!. . .opps. . . I hit Kenshin instead. . ."  
  
"ORO?!?!?!?!?"  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, I took the name Utena from that anime called Utena. . . or something. . .I don't know. I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT ANY NAMES!!! Oh well. . .REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna- sama!!!  
  
Chibi wants to hear the beautiful music of you pressing the 'submit review' button!!!  
  
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	15. Chapter Fifteen

Author's Notes: Okay everybody, people are getting upset with me about the whole 'Kenshin killed Kaoru's parents' thing, well NOT TO WORRY!!! It'll all turn out good in the end. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! You'll see. . . don't worry.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
Crismheart : Hey there, thank you for the many reviews. Chibi loves you!!!. . .ahem. ^_^; I tried going to that website you gave me (thanks for that too ;)) but uhh. . .there were no more places left for RK fiction. * sigh * oh well, thanks anyway. ^_^ I love your stories!  
  
On with the story!!. . .heheheh. . .  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Baby blue eyes danced with laughter, and the girl, age twenty, ran her hand through her incredibly bright pink hair. She laughed. "Oh this is wonderful!!!" Utena was in a dark room, like a mad scientist area. "So you work as a mechanic but you used to be a sword master?" she asked.  
  
A man with dark green hair simply nodded, actually being calm and mature for once. "That's right, I used to be a sword master."  
  
Utena smiled wickedly. "So, what as your name again?"  
  
The man looked at her, "Hiko Seijiro."  
  
Utena giggled. "Oh, I see. . .Uh, care for a drink?" she offered him some sake.  
  
Of course, knowing Hiko, he could never refuse an offer of sake. He smiled, "Thank you. . ." He watched as Utena poured him way too much sake then necessary. Hiko grinned.  
  
Utena handed him the sake and watched him gulp it down. She waited, patiently. When Hiko was finally done, she put on a gloomy face. She looked away from Hiko and rubbed her arm. "Uhh. . . Seijiro-sama. . ."  
  
"Just call me Hiko," Hiko grinned at her.  
  
Utena smiled up at him, "More sake?"  
  
Hiko just took the whole bottle and gulped it down.  
  
Utena giggled. "Oh I just love a man who can drink. . ." meanwhile, she was thinking, 'Ugh what a pig. . .'  
  
Hiko grinned at her.  
  
Utena coughed and looked away from Hiko again. "Well, Hiko, there's something I need to ask you. . ."  
  
Hiko smiled, "Anything. What is it?"  
  
"Well, do you happen to have any kind of tablet that would. . .well. . . cause a virus let's say in a human being if they ate it?"  
  
Hiko frowned thinking, "Well. . .I only made one kind of tablet that would do something like that. . .it's very dangerous. . .why?"  
  
Utena gave him a puppy dog look. "Well, I just really need a few dozen of those tablets. . ."  
  
Hiko bit his lip. "Well. . ." he looked at her puppy dog eyes, and smiled, "Okay."  
  
Utena jumped with joy. "Oh thank you!!! Thank you!!!"  
  
Hiko gave her a bottle. "Give two of the tablets to whoever you need to a day, and in about two or three months, they'll die."  
  
Utena got up on her tippy toes and pecked Hiko on the lips. "Oh thank you Hik-kun! I better go now. . .Ja!" she headed out the door.  
  
Hiko raised an eyebrow. '. . .Hik-kun. . .? But I'm forty-five years old. . .'  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Utena sighed. She had a depressed look on her face as she sat at the kitchen table, her head resting on her arms. 'That was last month. . .who would think best friends would turn against each other and one of them would kill the other. . . who would imagine her guilty of murder. . . when all she had ever done was help her best friend recover from a so-called- sickness.' She sighed again.  
  
Tomoe carefully walked down the hall. Her footsteps couldn't be heard, and she walked from her bedroom out to the kitchen. "Utena?" she asked softly.  
  
Utena jumped. "WHA???" she calmed down. "Oh. . . it's just you Tomoe. . ."  
  
Tomoe looked worriedly at her best friend. "Utena, where's Enishi?" she asked, voice smooth and silky; part of the reason why Utena hated her so much.  
  
Utena looked down at the table.  
  
"Utena?"  
  
"He's out."  
  
"Oh. I see," Tomoe walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, carefully, like an old woman. She sure felt like an old woman, and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.  
  
Utena looked at Tomoe, and tried to hide her disgust from her face. "Well . . . uhh. . . How are you feeling today Tomoe?" she smiled.  
  
Tomoe looked at Utena, and tried her best not to sigh. She didn't find it lady-like. "I-I feel fine, Utena. Thank you for caring about me." She smiled softly. But Tomoe had her suspicions. Of course, she would never admit them aloud, but something told her that somehow, someway, Utena was the reason of her sickness.  
  
Utena nodded. "Good. . .That's good Tomoe. I've just been so worried about you. . ." 'Heck yah, worried your tablets aren't working. . .'  
  
Tomoe smiled softly again. "Thank you Utena. Where would I be without you?"  
  
Utena looked at her and smiled. 'Oh I know exactly where you would be. . .with that. . .Battousai guy. . .Ick. . . What was his real name? Kenshin? Something like that. . .' she thought.  
  
Tomoe sat there quietly, and looked outside. "It's raining. . ." she whispered.  
  
Utena turned around to look at the window. "Funny. . . it's the middle of summer. . ."  
  
Tomoe watched as the rain came down on the tree about ten feet from the window. It was a Sakura tree, and was beautiful. But today, the tree sagged. It's pretty pink petals were falling to the ground. The wind picked up, and it looked like the tree was dancing to a sad, sad tune. Tomoe sighed softly. 'Ohhh. . .My head hurts. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Enishi sat on a bench in the park. It started to rain. He looked up, and thought about going home, but he decided to just sit there. He wasn't in the mood. Nobody was today. It was just. . . a gloomy day.  
  
Besides, Enishi was still thinking about things.  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~` ((AN: Oh how I love flash backs. . .heheheh. . .))  
  
"Do you understand me? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME YOUNG MAN???" asked a tall man.  
  
Enishi tucked his head in his chest.  
  
"WELL????"  
  
"But. . . but isn't that against the law?" for the age of thirteen, he was pretty smart.  
  
The man sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Listen to me: You need to be the strongest out there! You need to be the best! If you're weak, you die. Understand that?"  
  
Enishi cocked his head. "If I'm weak. . . I die?"  
  
"That's right son."  
  
Enishi nodded, "Okay, what do I have to do again?"  
  
The man sighed again. "Alright, we're getting nowhere. . ."  
  
Enishi shook his head, "No no! I understand you! I will not fail you father, just tell me what I do."  
  
Enishi's father put his hands on Enishi's shoulders. "You have to test your strength and bravery. I talked to a friend of mine, who is a spy and overheard something about Katsura. Katsura will be attacking a meeting tonight in Tokyo. Something he doesn't do, hanging around Tokyo, but hey, he's Katsura.  
  
"There'll be a man there, whose name is Hitokiri Battousai."  
  
Enishi raised an eyebrow. "Hitokiri. . . Battousai?"  
  
"Yes. He is an evil man, or boy I should say. He's barely sixteen, if not fifteen! But he's good, and much better then you. Avoid him at all cost!!! Now, I want you to pick the first person you see who is weaker then you. You need to get the hang of this, alright?"  
  
"Anybody?" Enishi asked.  
  
His father nodded, and smiled. "Now be good boy and don't let your father down."  
  
Enishi nodded. "I won't fail you." But inside he was thinking, 'But who would be weaker then me?'  
  
~*~  
  
Amber eyes darted across the dark night. 'Now where did they go?' his mind screamed. He saw two people darting away. "Gotcha," he whispered.  
  
He ran after them with god-like-speed. He watched as the man turned around and shielded his wife with his body.  
  
"Come no closer you beast!" the man shouted. He held up his bokken.  
  
Amber eyes danced with laughter. He laughed, but then suddenly stopped and barked, "Foolish man! I am here to create a new era for Japan! And I am not a beast!" he ran forward to the man, katana in hand, ready to taste blood once more.  
  
With amazing ability, he slashed several times through the man holding the bokken. The woman screamed out in horror, deafening his ears. He wiped the blood from his katana, and put it back in its sheath.  
  
The woman looked at him with complete horror, her train of thoughts probably roaming around, 'He's going to kill me. . .', or so the man guessed. He smirked, "Don't worry, I don't kill women." He turned around and walked away, tuning out the sounds of the woman's sobs.  
  
Enishi watched the whole scene fold before his eyes. 'I mustn't let father down.' He searched the area for somebody weaker then him, and his eyes caught upon the woman; Kaoru's mother. Enishi walked over to her. 'What am I doing?! I'm about to kill a woman!' he frowned. 'No. I mustn't let father down.'  
  
Battousai began to walk again, until his ears were practically shattered with the sound of the woman screaming in pain, and then coming to a sudden stop.  
  
Battousai wiped around quickly to see that a man had killed the woman with his katana. His eyes widened. He hadn't seen such madness in all his life. Enishi had killed the woman with such vigor, such fury. He could tell the boy didn't know the woman. He looked closer at the boy. He was only a 'little' boy! New at the ways of killing!  
  
Enishi had dark hair, wide eyes, and little circled glasses. Battousai's amber eyes narrowed. The boy looked only two years younger then himself, or three. The amber eyes closed. Besides, he himself was only fifteen years old. . .  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Yes I know I know, don't like rereading scenes over and over again. Well, TOO BAD!!! ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama! 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Author's Notes: Okay well, guess what? I'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS!!! OH YAH BABY!!!. . .ahem. . .REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thanks you SO much minna-sama, Chibi feels SO happy. . .* sniff *  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. ^_~  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
Yahiko continued his grumbling. "Stupid no good busu. . .don't wanna live here. . .rather die. . .stupid busu. . .I hate girls. . ."  
  
Sanosuke smiled. "Oh don't worry! You'll fit in just perfectly! And maybe you'll stay with us a long time!" his face turned serious. "But what about those bullies beating you up like that?"  
  
Yahiko finally looked up at Sanosuke as the whole group walked to the apartment. "Well. . .They said they were done with me. So they beat me up and left me to die. . . I guess. . ."  
  
Sanosuke frowned, "I dunno. . .maybe they'll come back. . ."  
  
Yahiko sighed, "Maybe. . ." he watched Soujiro and Misao chatter away like no tomorrow, while Kenshin and Kaoru walked side by side, hand in hand, and yet a blush was on Kaoru's face. Not Kenshin's though. Yahiko mused to himself, "Wonder what's up with them. . ."  
  
"OH KEN-SAN!!!" a voice called from behind.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. "Oro. . ."  
  
Megumi walked up to him. "Oh Ken-san, everybody's coming over to live with you, can't I come too?" she purred.  
  
Kaoru's left eye twitched. "Excuse ME!!! But that apartment HAPPENS to be MINE!!!"  
  
Megumi ignored her. "Pretty please, Ken-san?"  
  
"Well I. . ."  
  
"OF COURSE NOT!!!"  
  
"Oh? And what would a tanuki like yourself know about Ken-san and me?" Megumi pouted. "Oh Ken-san, you're not going out with her, are you?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. "Uhhh. . .sessha. . ."  
  
(What is it with this 'oro' and 'sessha' crap?) Battousai muttered.  
  
Megumi clung to Kenshin's arm. "Oh Ken-san. . .thank you for letting me stay with you. . ."  
  
Sanosuke snorted. "Hey Fox, he didn't say you could come to Jou- chan's."  
  
Megumi turned to him. "Was I talking to you?"  
  
Sanosuke grinned, goofily. "No, but I was talking to you."  
  
It was Soujiro's turn to grin. Misao looked at him. "What?"  
  
"Oh nothing. . ."  
  
Yahiko sighed, "Are we there yet?"  
  
Sanosuke looked at him, while Megumi turned back to clinging to Kenshin's arm and Kaoru glaring at her. "Nope. A few blocks left."  
  
Several seconds later, "Are we there now?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"How about now?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
". . .Now?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Now?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Kaoru's eye twitched again.  
  
". . . .Now?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."  
  
Kaoru smiled in relief that Yahiko didn't say anything until. . .  
  
"Now?"  
  
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP??????????" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
Sanosuke smiled, "Okay, we're here."  
  
~*~  
  
"Ohhh. . . you have SUCH a spacious home," Megumi said, sarcastically.  
  
Kaoru snorted, "Well I'm sorry, but this apartment was meant for FOUR people. . .not seven. . ."  
  
Soujiro smiled, "Really, Kaoru-dono, there is no need for me to stay here. . ."  
  
"Oh be quiet. This apartment has two large rooms. If we put all the girl's futons in one, and all the boy's futons in another, then it'll be like dorm rooms, okay?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Soujiro blushed. "Alright. . .thank you."  
  
Kaoru nodded, and got everything ready.  
  
Sanosuke sighed, "Three girls in one room, four boys in another. Oh boy. . ."  
  
Yahiko continued his grumbling. "Stupid, ugly, fat busu . . . why do I have to stay here. . .why me?!?!?!?!?!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Where'd the punk go?" asked one man.  
  
The other snorted, "I left him out to die in the street. Heh. . ."  
  
They both laughed.  
  
"Maybe we should go check on him. . . you know. . . just to see if he's still alive."  
  
The other man smiled. "Why not. . ."  
  
They both walked out to the place where they had left the little boy. "Hey! He's not here!"  
  
They both looked at each other. "Uh oh. . ."  
  
"We've got to find him, he's out there somewhere. He'll probably tattle on us, and then we'll be arrested!"  
  
The other nodded.  
  
"He must have been brought to a doctor. . ." the man's slight eyes narrowed as he grinned. "Why don't we knock on Dr. Genzai's door?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin sat on the porch once more, brooding on yesterday's events. 'I cried. . . I cried in front of Kaoru. I can remember almost everything of being the Battousai. . . but. . . something's missing.' He corrected himself. 'No. Someone. I feel. . .like Kaoru isn't the only girl I've ever loved. . .But who?' ((AN: Prepare yourselves. . . buwahahahah. . .oh and uhh. . . sorry sta-chan. ^_~))  
  
Kaoru watched Kenshin from the window. 'What's he thinking about. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
"PARTY!!!" Sanosuke yelled. All the men of the 'boy's room' laughed. "I have a craving for sake, how about you Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin looked at him, "What is the occasion, Sano?"  
  
Sanosuke smiled. "Well. . . I have to think that we're all together now. There can't really be anybody else to join the Kenshin-gumi, so I thought we ought to celebrate!"  
  
Kenshin looked down, "I don't see any need to celebrate. . ."  
  
Yahiko jumped up, "I'll get the sake!!!"  
  
Soujiro pulled him down, "Oh no you don't, young man. You're under age for drinking."  
  
Yahiko pouted at him.  
  
Kenshin nearly sighed, "Well. . . I'll go get the sake I guess. . ." he left the room.  
  
Sanosuke's act of cheerfulness faded. "Awww man. . . with Kenshin this depressed, I'll never get him to cheer up."  
  
Soujiro smiled, "Is that the reason why you want to party?"  
  
Sanosuke grinned at him. "Kenshin's been acting real weird lately, and I wanna cheer him up. I think it has something to do with Jou-chan. . ."  
  
Soujiro nodded. "I see. . ."  
  
Kenshin walked to the kitchen, and grabbed two bottles of sake. 'Knowing Sano. . . that's probably what he'll want. . .' he thought. Kenshin looked at the clock. 'Well. . . eight o-clock. . .' He started back towards the 'boy's room' when he bumped into Kaoru.  
  
"Oh!"  
  
"Oro!"  
  
"I'm sorry Kenshin. . . I didn't see you. . ." Kaoru said.  
  
Kenshin smiled weakly. "Nothing to worry about."  
  
Kaoru saw the two bottles of sake and raised an eyebrow. "Kenshin. . .?"  
  
Kenshin looked away, "Um. . . it was Sano's idea. . ."  
  
Kaoru smiled. "I see. . . just don't part ALL night long. . ." her voice got sharp, "And don't mess up that room!"  
  
Kenshin nodded, "Alright. . . I'll tell Sanosuke that. . ." as he walked away he saw the bag of popcorn hidden behind Kaoru's back. He grinned. 'Kaoru's partying. . . so. . . why not me?' he wondered.  
  
Kenshin got back to the 'boy's room', and said, "Alright! PARTY!"  
  
~*~  
  
Megumi laughed, "Ohohohoho!!! Let's play truth or dare!"  
  
Kaoru took another bite of popcorn. "Alright then! But I want to go first."  
  
Megumi nodded. "Fine, tanuki, have it your way."  
  
Kaoru grinned, "Megumi, truth or dare?"  
  
Misao giggled.  
  
Megumi smiled, slyly. "Truth." She crossed her arms.  
  
Kaoru's grin got bigger, "Okay then, do you have a crush on Sanosuke?"  
  
Megumi put on a face of shock. "What? No! Of course not! I love Kenshin!"  
  
Misao made a 'Ehhhh!' sound like a 'wrong' bell.  
  
Megumi growled at her.  
  
Kaoru smiled, "You're lying, aren't you Megumi?"  
  
Megumi looked at her. "No! Of course not!"  
  
Misao and Kaoru giggled.  
  
Megumi sighed, "Okay, okay. . .maybe I like Sanosuke. . . but we just met yesterday!"  
  
Misao and Kaoru continued giggling.  
  
Megumi pouted, "Alright, FINE!!! Yes I have a crush on the rooster- head. . ."  
  
Misao and Kaoru laughed so hard, the boys heard it. Misao the most, though. "I can't believe you'd have a crush on such a rooster-head!!!"  
  
~*~  
  
Sanosuke suddenly sneazed. Kenshin looked at him. "Are you alright?"  
  
Sanosuke looked around. "What are those girls up to? Why do I hear so much giggling. . .?"  
  
Kenshin looked around. "I don't hear anything. . ."  
  
Soujiro held in his laughter.  
  
~*~  
  
Megumi sighed, "Okay, MY turn." She turned to Misao. "Misao truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth," Misao said.  
  
"Who do you like more, Aoshi, the man I've heard is your boyfriend, or Soujiro?"  
  
Misao gaped at her. "I can't believe you'd ask a question like that! Of COURSE I love Aoshi-sama more!"  
  
Kaoru looked hard at her friend. 'I don't know. . . She seemed to really like Soujiro. . . and I can tell Soujiro really likes her. . .this may cause a problem. . .'  
  
Megumi snorted. "Fine, be that way. . ."  
  
Misao turned to Kaoru. "Okay Kaoru-chan, I have a good one for you. . .Pick truth, OR ELSE!!!"  
  
Kaoru yelled, "Alright, alright!!! TRUTH!"  
  
Misao grinned evilly. "Now then, I saw something very interesting about Kenshin on his right side. It looked like electricity. Tell me, Kaoru: Is Kenshin human?"  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. 'She knows about Kenshin?'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: So? Watcha think? Please tell me! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
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	17. Chapter Seventeen

Author's Notes: Okay. . several people have asked for a lemon, or at least a lime. I'm about to write a lime. ;) but you have to remember this is my first one, so I'm not putting in explicit details, k? k. ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
Misao smiled. "Well?"  
  
Kaoru looked at the ground. "W-What?" she asked, making sure she heard correctly.  
  
Misao frowned, "C'mon Kaoru! Answer the question! Is Kenshin a human?"  
  
Kaoru looked up at Misao and whispered, "No. . .He's a robot."  
  
Misao and Megumi gaped at her. "He's a ROBOT???" Megumi asked.  
  
Misao laughed hysterically. "OHHHHH I KNEW IT!!!!"  
  
Megumi put on a face of shock, but inside, she knew there was something inhuman about her Ken-san.  
  
Kaoru sighed.  
  
Misao put a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Don't worry Kaoru-chan! I don't mind."  
  
Megumi frowned, "Well I do!!!"  
  
Misao and Kaoru just ignored her and smiled at each other.  
  
"Hello??? IS ANYBODY LISTENING TO ME???"  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile. . .  
  
"WHOOHOOO!!!" Sanosuke yelled. He took another gulp of the sake. "This is awesome!!! Even though I think it would be better with the girls. . ."  
  
Kenshin perked up at that. "Girls you say?" he smiled.  
  
Soujiro looked around nervously. "Uhhh. . . guys? Not a good idea. . ."  
  
"Why not?" Sanosuke asked.  
  
Soujiro smiled weakly, "Well. . . you're both drunk. . ."  
  
Kenshin frowned, "I'm not!"  
  
Sanosuke looked at him. "Uhhh huh. . ."  
  
Soujiro sighed, "Alright. . . get the girls in here. . ."  
  
Sanosuke jumped up, "WHOOHOO!!!" he ran like a child out of the door and to the girl's room.  
  
Yahiko looked around, "Okay, I'm outa here. . ." he walked to the living room.  
  
Soujiro nodded and followed him.  
  
Sanosuke, meanwhile, burst open the girl's room.  
  
Moments later, Kenshin, Yahiko and Soujiro all heard ear-cracking- screams from the girl's room.  
  
"SANOSUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sanosuke grinned, "Sorry ladies. . . I need Kaoru. . ." he grabbed Kaoru and pulled her out the door.  
  
"Sanosuke! What are you DOING???" Kaoru screamed.  
  
Sanosuke grinned evilly, "Don't worry. . ." he pushed her into the boy's room, where now only Kenshin sat, closed the door and locked it from the outside.  
  
Kaoru stared at Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin stared at Kaoru.  
  
"Uhh. . .Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Kenshin stared at her pools of blue with his puddles of violet.  
  
"Yes, Kaoru?"  
  
". . ."  
  
"What's wrong Kaoru?"  
  
"Kenshin. . . you were crying. . ."  
  
Kenshin's smile fell.  
  
Kaoru walked over to Kenshin. "Oh Kenshin. . . if only I could figure you out. . ."  
  
Kenshin watched as she sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You probably never will," he said, sadly.  
  
Kaoru looked up at him. "I do know one thing, Kenshin."  
  
Kenshin looked at her, "What's that?"  
  
"That I . . . I-I love you."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, and his face showed shock, but deep down, he knew it all along. 'Is this what you were planning Sanosuke? To be a match- maker and get us together?' he wondered. He mentally smiled.  
  
Kaoru looked at the floor. "Do you. . . do you love me?"  
  
Silence. . .  
  
"Of course not. . . why would you love me? I'm the girl who brought you to this miserable world. . . with only the thoughts of herself. I'm the girl who made you remember all the horrible things you seem to have done when you were Battousai. . . whenever and however that is. . .I'm the girl. . ."  
  
Kenshin interrupted her, "No."  
  
"What?" she whispered.  
  
Kenshin shook his head, "No Kaoru. You aren't the reason I've been having these horrible memories of ten years ago. You aren't. Don't you dare think that way. I may be a robot. . . but I have feelings too you know."  
  
Kaoru looked at him with teary eyes, but then shook her head. "No. . . No Kenshin, I'm to blame! I'm to. . ." she couldn't continue because Kenshin's lips had been pressed to her's.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. 'His lips. . . they're warm just like last time!'  
  
Kenshin broke off the kiss. "No Kaoru. You're not to blame. And even if you were I would still. . . I-I would still love you. . ."  
  
Kaoru's lips twitched into a smiled. "Oh Kenshin!" she kissed him back.  
  
Kenshin smiled and closed his eyes. 'So this is what it's like to kiss. . .what it's like to. . .love. . .'  
  
Rurouni looked around. [Uhh. . . Battousai? Where are you?]  
  
(Heh. . Heheh. . .heheeheheheheheh. . .)  
  
[Uhh. . .]  
  
(Heh. . .heheheheheh. . .buwah. . .buwahah. . .BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!) Battousai burst out into laughter.  
  
Rurouni sighed. [I'm not going to ask. . .]  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru's kiss was soft first. . .but then Battousai decided to make his show. Kenshin started to kiss Kaoru with more passion and strength. Kaoru opened her eyes slightly to look at Kenshin, but then she closed them again.  
  
Kenshin kissed butterflies down Kaoru's neck, and before Kaoru knew it, she said, "Oh Kenshin. . ."  
  
Meanwhile. . .  
  
Sanosuke laughed manically as he ran outside. He ran over to the back porch and over to the window where the boy's room was. He watched as Kenshin started to remove Kaoru's kimono. Sanosuke's grin went from ear to ear. "Ahh. . . young love. . ."  
  
Suddenly he was poked on the shoulder. "AHH!!!" Sanosuke turned around to see Yahiko, smiling very brightly. "Ohh. . . came to watch the show too, eh?"  
  
"You know it!"  
  
They both laughed evilly as they watched.  
  
Soujiro shook his head. "Those two are crazy. . ."  
  
Misao and Megumi suddenly appeared behind Yahiko and Sanosuke. "Oooo!!! What's going on here???" Megumi laughed, "Ohohohoho!!!"  
  
Sanosuke turned around, "Just watch Fox, and see what the brilliant match-maker has made possible!"  
  
Misao just shook her head. "I agree with Soujiro. . . you're all crazy. . ."  
  
"Crazy for love. . ." Sanosuke said, his voice deep with a funky French accent.  
  
"OHOHOHO!!!"  
  
~*~  
  
"I-I swear I honestly don't know!" Dr. Genzai cried.  
  
The man's eyes narrowed. "Come on, old man, you know where they are, don't you?"  
  
Two little girls, Suzumi and Ayzumi watched in horror as the men lifted Dr. Genzai from the ground by the collar.  
  
"Alright, alright! I know where they are!!!" Dr. Genzai finally shouted.  
  
The men smiled. "Oh really? Can you tell us?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin had never felt so happy in his entire life with Kaoru. Even though. . . that was really short. But something told him he had done this before. . .with someone else. . .  
  
Kaoru ran her hands through Kenshin's blood red hair and smiled. "Kenshin. . . You know I love you, right?"  
  
Kenshin smiled up at her, "But of course. . ." he said, huskily. He pulled Kaoru's kimono from her shoulder and kissed the nape of her neck.  
  
(OH YAH MOMMA!!!)  
  
[You're nuts. . . are you sure we're ready to do this???]  
  
(DUHHH. . .)  
  
[Well alright. . .]  
  
Kenshin suddenly pulled back.  
  
Kaoru frowned, "What's wrong?"  
  
Kenshin smiled. "Just this. . ." he pulled his gi off, and now he was only wearing his white hakama.  
  
Kaoru blushed. 'Hey wait a minute. . . I helped make his body. . . why am I blushing? I know very well what he has. . .' she blushed even deeper red.  
  
Kenshin grinned, and went back to kissing the nape of her neck. It felt. . . just right to him. . . though something told him once again. . . that he had done this before. It was like having da ja vu. . .  
  
Sanosuke smiled, "Ooohhh. . .look. . . He's almost got her whole kimono off. . ."  
  
Suddenly Yahiko and Soujiro turned around, "I can't look!" Yahiko said.  
  
Soujiro blushed, "It's not very polite to stare Sanosuke. . ."  
  
Suddenly there was a loud shout, "HEY!! WHERE'S THE BRAT?????"  
  
Yahiko's eyes widened. "I know that voice. . .Uh oh. . ."  
  
Everybody raced over to the front of the apartment. Sanosuke growled, "What do you punks want???"  
  
There stood five men. Several were very tall, but one was very short. "We've come to get the kid," he said. "He still owes us money!"  
  
Yahiko glared, "You told me I paid everything off!"  
  
"Of course not! We just got tired of you!"  
  
"Then leave me alone!"  
  
"I'm afraid we can't do that. . .Get them boys!" the short. . . and fat. . . man laughed.  
  
The other four raced towards Yahiko and Sanosuke. Misao's eyes widened. "I better get Himura. . ." she muttered, and ran back into the house. "HIMURA!!! HIMURA!!!"  
  
Kenshin looked up and frowned, "What?"  
  
Misao grabbed the key on the table, unlocked the door and opened it. "HIMURA!! We've got trouble!!"  
  
Kenshin nodded, and looked down at Kaoru. "I'm sorry Kaoru, but we've got to go see what's wrong. . ."  
  
Kaoru nodded, and put her kimono back on her shoulders. Kenshin didn't want to take the time to put his gi back on. He grabbed the old katana in the living room. They all ran outside.  
  
"What's going on here?" Kenshin barked. He was NOT happy his time with Kaoru was interrupted.  
  
The boss frowned, "Who are you?"  
  
Sanosuke shook his head, "That doesn't matter. . . now c'mon! FIGHT ME!!"  
  
The men charged at Sanosuke. Sanosuke smirked, and dodged their attacks. He punched one smack in the head. "Sorry. . ." he muttered. He looked at the other three. They all brang out knives. "Ah now that isn't fun! That's cheating!"  
  
Kenshin stepped forward. "I do not like your interruption gentlemen. . . so I suggest you get out of here. . ." he unsheathed the old katana.  
  
The men laughed. "What can you do with that measly old katana?"  
  
"A lot, actually. . ." Kenshin growled. His eyes burned amber.  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow. "Wow Kaoru. . . he must REALLY have the hots for you. . .OW!"  
  
Kaoru's left eye twitched as she pulled her hand from Misao's head. "Don't even start with me Misao. . ."  
  
Kenshin glared at the men. "Come," he whispered.  
  
And the men. . . charged.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: So, whatcha think? Please tell me! ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Tell me what you think minna-sama! Poor Dr. Genzai. . .* sigh * 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Author's Notes: Hello everybody!!! Wow. . . I can't believe it. . . 130 reviews!!! OH YAY BABY!!! Lol ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please be kind minna-sama!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. ^_~  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Eighteen  
  
"We're gonna cut you up!!!" Shouted the men.  
  
Kenshin raised his katana, and his amber eyes narrowed. 'I'll teach these men a lesson for beating up a defenseless child like Yahiko!'  
  
(Oh yah! This is what I'm talking about!! I love to fight!) Battousai snickered.  
  
Rurouni looked around, [I dunno. . . de gozaru yo. . . there are quite a few men. . .]  
  
(Oh can it! You might ruin the mood!) Battousai yelled.  
  
[* whimper *]  
  
Kenshin jumped up above the men and then swooped down with the old katana. He hit one with the flat of the blade on the side of the head, and the force was enough to knock him out. With the next man, Kenshin was about to slash his head open, but decided against it. Instead, Kenshin hit that man with the flat of his blade too. Then with the third man, Kenshin used the flat of his blade once more to the back of the neck, which knocked him out. With the fourth man still standing, Kenshin decided to cut him, since he seemed to be the boss's right hand. Kenshin cut his side only a little, but enough to send blood gushing. Then he used the flat of the blade to knock HIM out also. Finally, Kenshin turned to give a death stare to the boss.  
  
And he did all this, in about. . . thirty seconds.  
  
The boss stared with eyes widened, "What. . .what the hell are you?" he cried.  
  
Kenshin glared daggers, "Angry."  
  
The boss nodded, then decided to make his get away. "Oh no you don't!" Kenshin shouted. He ran with amazing speed to the boss and slapped him on the back of the neck with the flat of the blade. "You're all going behind bars!" Kenshin barked.  
  
That's when a cold, icy voice stopped Kenshin in his tracks. "Yes. . . Thank you Battousai for catching them for me." Everybody turned to see Saitoh.  
  
"Saitoh. . . what do you want?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"I merely came for these morons. They should go behind bars, just like you said," Saitoh answered. He directed a few other cops to pick the men. "Right. . . thank you again Battousai," Saitoh said in a sarcastic way. "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight you today. Besides. . . looks like it's going to rain." And with that, he walked away.  
  
Indeed, just moments later, the rain began to fall. Misao shivered, "Let's get inside everybody. . ." she looked at Yahiko's shocked face. "C'mon Yahiko, let me help you inside. . ." she pulled him in.  
  
Sanosuke nodded, and looked over at Kenshin standing in the rain. "We better leave him alone for a while. . ." Soujiro and Megumi nodded, and the three walked inside.  
  
Kaoru frowned as she watched Kenshin sheath the old katana. "Kenshin?" she asked.  
  
No reply.  
  
"Hey Kenshin. . . Don't be mad. Those guys were idiots to pick on Yahiko like that, but now they're behind bars! Don't worry. . ." Kaoru tried to cheer him up, but it wasn't working.  
  
"Kenshin!"  
  
". . .Kaoru?"  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. "Uhh. . . yes Kenshin?"  
  
"Have you ever felt. . . like something has happened before just like what happened a few moments ago. . . but. . . you don't know what that something is?"  
  
"Uhh. . . No. . . I've never felt that way before," Kaoru told him.  
  
"Oh. I see."  
  
Kaoru growled, getting frustrated. "Kenshin! Why are you always so sorry for yourself? Why are you always so down on yourself? Why are you always just so. . . ugh. . . I don't know. . . but there's something about you that bugs me!"  
  
"Well, that's partly your fault. You're the one who programmed me."  
  
That was not Kenshin's voice.  
  
That was somebody else's voice.  
  
Not Kenshin.  
  
Right?  
  
RIGHT???  
  
The rain came down harder and Kaoru's anger flared. "One moment you're the most loving and caring person I've ever known! Telling me you love me! You can't get enough of me! The next moment you're insulting me and being all sorry for yourself!"  
  
"When did I insult you?"  
  
". . . That doesn't matter!"  
  
"I believe it does. . . Because I did not insult you."  
  
"You said that you felt like this has happened before. . . Have you had an argument like this before also?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Kenshin finally looked her in the eye. 'Kaoru. . .' he thought. Suddenly she wasn't Kaoru she was. . . somebody else. The woman looked at Kenshin with solemn eyes. Her perfect black hair was wet with rain, and her long white kimono was getting stained with water. Kenshin could now see her frame underneath. She was beautiful. But her expression was sad. Very sad. Kenshin sniffed the air to smell a wonderful fragrance of white plum.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, and a tear fell. 'But what is her name?' he wondered. She seemed. . . so familiar. His feelings for her were just like his feelings for Kaoru. . .only. . .much stronger. But what was her name?  
  
Kaoru watched Kenshin, puzzled. 'What's he looking at? Me? Somebody else? He seems so distant suddenly. . .' "Kenshin?"  
  
". . ."  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
". . . But what is your name?" he asked aloud.  
  
Kaoru stepped back, "What? Are you saying you don't know me?"  
  
The woman with solemn eyes stepped back also. "Can't you remember me, itooshi?"  
  
Kenshin cocked his head. "Itooshi. . .?"  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Okay. . . are you delusional or something??? I didn't call you itooshi!"  
  
The woman stepped forward. "Itooshi. . . please. . . come back to me. . . ."  
  
"But. . . what's your name?"  
  
"You can't remember? Why not? We just saw each other the other day. . ."  
  
"What???" Kenshin's eyes widened. "No I did not see you the other day! I've never seen you before in my life!"  
  
The woman ran up to him and put her arms around him. "Oh please stop scaring me! You're scaring me. . . why can't you remember me?" she asked.  
  
Kaoru cried into Kenshin's gi. "Stop it Kenshin! Stop scaring me! Why are you talking to somebody else? I'm the only one here!"  
  
"Can't you remember my name. . . Kenshin?"  
  
"No. . . I don't. . ."  
  
"Please remember. . ."  
  
"Please get yourself together Kenshin!"  
  
"I don't remember you. . ."  
  
"But why? You're my husband!"  
  
If they could, Kenshin's eyes would have grown larger. ". . .T- Tomoe?"  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoe woke from her nightmare. "KENSHIN!" she screamed.  
  
Enishi ran into the room. "What is it?" he yelled.  
  
Tomoe looked at him. "Oh. . . it's nothing. Just a bad dream. . ."  
  
Enishi frowned, and sat down on the bed. "Tell me."  
  
"N-No. . . Enishi. . ."  
  
"Please tell me. Telling somebody about it always makes you feel better."  
  
Tomoe smiled weakly at her little brother's concern. "I. . . I had a nightmare about my ex-husband." She didn't dare say his name in front of Enishi.  
  
Enishi's frown deepened. "You dreamt of that moron? Why? What happened in your dream?"  
  
Tomoe looked down at her bed-sheets. "He. . . he told me he couldn't remember my name. . . that he didn't know me. There was another woman. . . I don't remember her name, but it started with a K, I'm sure of it. At the end of my dream, my ex-husband said my name at last, with a tear rolling down his face. And then. . . I woke up."  
  
Enishi sighed, and patted the top of her head. "Don't worry, it's probably just this illness of yours. You've got to remain strong, big sister! You've got to keep fighting it!" he smiled.  
  
Tomoe nodded. "Yes. . . you're right Enishi. Thank you."  
  
"Now get some sleep. . ."  
  
"Alright. . ."  
  
Utena watched from the door as Enishi tucked Tomoe back in. She glared at Tomoe and walked away from the room. Her pink pajama shorts squished around her as she walked. Her bright pink hair swished into her face and she blew it away.  
  
Enishi walked out of the room to see her walking towards the kitchen. "Hey Utena!" he called.  
  
"I don't want to talk right now."  
  
"But Utena. . . we need to talk about our wedding!"  
  
Utena glared daggers at Enishi, but stopped herself. 'Wait. . . I have to wait until after Tomoe is dead to finally break it to him that I don't love him. . . But I might have to get married to him first!' she sighed mentally. 'Not good. . . not good. . .'  
  
"Honey," she told him. "I don't feel very good right now. . ."  
  
"Oh no!" Enishi said. "It's not what Tomoe has, right?" he asked.  
  
Utena smiled at him, "No. . . no it's nothing like that. Just a slight headache. . ."  
  
"Are you stressed out about Tomoe's illness?"  
  
"Uhh. . . yah. That's it! I'm just. . . stressed out. . . I'm afraid. . . that she'll leave us soon!" Being the wonderful actress she was, Utena managed to make a tear escape her eye.  
  
And Enishi fell for it immediately. He rushed to her side. "Oh Utena. . . please. . . don't cry. I know you've been Tomoe's best friend since kindergarten. . . but. . . you have to hold on! Just like Tomoe! You have to keep the faith!" Enishi rubbed her head to make the ache go away.  
  
Utena smiled weakly. "I guess you're right. . ." she sighed. "What about. . . her. . . well. . . ex-husband?"  
  
Enishi looked down at her. "Battousai?" he looked away. "I'll deal with him soon."  
  
"Oh please do, Enishi-darling! You have to make him suffer for hurting our dearest Tomoe!"  
  
Enishi nodded, and smiled down at her. "You're right. I can't let that moron get away with hurting my poor big sister!"  
  
Utena hid her face with her pink hair. Her smile turned evil. "Oh yes. . . Enishi. . . Good idea."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Please review soon, minna-sama! Chibi feels lonely. . . REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! ^_~ 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Author's Notes: Okay, well. . . here I am again. . . Finding myself writing another chapter. Can you BELIEVE that in ONE more chapter I'll have twenty chapters??? That's the most I've EVER written!!! ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please review to make Chibi happy!!!  
  
MZ. AmbER EYES: HELLO!!! ^_^ Okay. . . this is K/K all the way!!! Do not worry yourself, dear fellow fanfiction maniac, Kenshin and Kaoru have stronger love then Battousai and Tomoe, and in the end, Tomoe dies. BUWHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!. . . .ahem. Thanks for reviewing, but don't hurt me!!! It'll turn good in the end! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Nineteen  
  
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin. "Kenshin?"  
  
He finally looked down at her and into her eyes. "Kaoru?"  
  
They both stood there, in the rain for a few moments. Kenshin wrapped his arms around Kaoru, very protectively. "Something isn't right, Kaoru. I can remember her. . . Tomoe. . .I remember everything about her except how I know her."  
  
"Was she. . . your girlfriend?" Kaoru asked softly.  
  
"No."  
  
She nearly sighed in relief.  
  
"She was my wife."  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened and she stepped back from Kenshin. "You had a wife?" she asked.  
  
Kenshin looked at her with sadness laced into his deep violet eyes. "Yes. . . I had a wife. How? I don't know. But I guess. . . it'll come to me. Just. . . let me hold you. . ."  
  
Kaoru frowned silently, but went back into Kenshin's arms. He held onto her like the wind would wisp her away from him. Kenshin shivered.  
  
Kenshin's eyes snapped open. "Did I just. . .No. . ."  
  
Kaoru looked up at him. "What is it?" she saw his blue lips and her eyes widened.  
  
"I'm. . . I'm so cold. . . it's so cold out here. . .I can feel the rain. . ." Kenshin whispered.  
  
Tears bridged in Kaoru's eyes, and she shoved her face into Kenshin's chest and held him tighter. "Kenshin. . . I think you're turning into a. . ."  
  
A sneeze interrupted her.  
  
She looked up again. "Kenshin? Did you just sneeze?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes crossed, then closed as he sneezed again. And again. . . and again. . .  
  
Kaoru frowned, "Your body has never been this cold and wet at the same time. I don't think we should stay out here anymore. . ."  
  
"No!" he cried. Then softened, "I want to stay out here a little longer. I've never felt the rain before. . ."  
  
Kaoru nodded silently and held him close. 'Kenshin. . .' she thought.  
  
They stood out there, silently, in the rain, for twenty minutes. Both Kenshin and Kaoru were freezing cold, and even though Kaoru was a real human, she wasn't as cold as Kenshin was.  
  
Sanosuke watched from the window. "Any moment now. . ." he whispered. He was waiting for Kenshin's body to give out, and then he'd go out there and get them out of the rain. He still didn't know Kenshin was a robot, but he could see it clearly that Kenshin was a lot more colder then Kaoru was.  
  
Finally, the moment he was waiting for came. Kenshin couldn't stop his shivering anymore. It felt. . . delightful to him, and yet. . . painful. Black dots overcame his vision, and the last thing he heard was, "Kenshin?" coming from Kaoru. His eyes dropped closed, and his body went limp.  
  
Kaoru held him up for a moment, then rest him down on her lap. Sanosuke came running out. "I KNEW that would happen. . ." Sanosuke said.  
  
Kaoru looked at him. "How?"  
  
"Well. . . Jou-chan that's easy. He was clearly more colder then you. We need to hurry up and get you both inside, or you'll BOTH have colds. . ." He pulled Kenshin over his shoulder, and him and Kaoru walked inside to the warmth of the apartment.  
  
Megumi frowned when she saw the soaked Kenshin. "Oh brother. . . why did you two stay out there so long?"  
  
Kaoru laughed weakly. "Uhh. . . Kenshin likes the rain?"  
  
Megumi remembered that Kenshin was a robot, then nodded. He had never felt rain before. "Let me help him. . . we need to get him in a warm bed. . . hustle up rooster head!"  
  
"Alright alright. . . I'm going!" Sanosuke rested Kenshin down on a futon in Kenshin's own room and covered him up good and snug. "There ya go Kenshin. . ." he muttered.  
  
Megumi nodded, "We should leave him alone for a while. . ."  
  
"Well?" Sanosuke asked. "Aren't you going to give him any medicine or something?"  
  
Megumi frowned at him. "There's no point in doing that. He'll recover on his own." She left the room.  
  
Soujiro frowned, even with a smile on his face. "I hope Himura-san will be alright. . ."  
  
"ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO REMEMBER ME????" Kaoru screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
Megumi looked at her, "Oh yah. . . nearly forgot you tanuki. . . sorry. . ."  
  
"ARGGGG. . ."  
  
"Don't worry. . . you'll be fine. . .just take this medicine. . ." -"Ewww!!! That's disgusting!!!"-"Yes I know it's disgusting, that's why I gave it to you. Now get lost. . . I mean. . . go on now. . .ohohohohoho!!!" Megumi laughed.  
  
Kaoru fumed at her, but decided to go over and check on Kenshin. "Kenshin?" she whispered. She got down on her knees (don't worry she's dressed in warm clothes, as is Kenshin) next to Kenshin.  
  
She watched his chest go up and down. . .up and down. . . it was very calming. Kaoru smiled. 'Are you really turning into a human, Kenshin? Well? Are you?' she wondered.  
  
Kenshin's blood red hair was in his eyes, Kaoru could tell. She pushed them out of the way so she could see his closed eyes with those long eyelashes.  
  
Up and down. . .up and down. . .  
  
Kaoru lied down next to Kenshin, smiled, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. 'Kenshin had a wife. . . Would he have another?'  
  
~*~  
  
Utena opened her eyes to find herself in Enishi's strong arms. She sighed. 'Poor guy. . .' she thought. 'Oh well!' that was rather cheerful. . .  
  
Enishi smiled down at her. "Good morning sleeping beauty."  
  
"Oh ha ha. . ."  
  
Enishi's smile widened. "What should we do today, I wonder?"  
  
"I dunno, love. What do you want to do?"  
  
Enishi looked down at her again. "Well we could. . ."  
  
"Enishi!!!" the scream came from Tomoe's room.  
  
Enishi's smile was lost as he ran down the hallway to Tomoe's room. "TOMOE!" he looked at her. She didn't look good at all. She had apparently just woken up. The sheets were all twisted around her on the futon, her hair was carelessly flung around her, her eyes were bloodshot, her face deathly pale. He ran over to her.  
  
"E-Enishi. . ." she mumbled.  
  
"It's alright. . . it's alright. . .just tell me where it hurts," he asked.  
  
Tomoe pointed to her stomach.  
  
"Your stomach eh? Want me to go get those pills Utena. . ."  
  
"NO!" she cried.  
  
Enishi's eyes widened with fear.  
  
"I don't want those evil pills. . . they only make me feel worse!! Give me Advil. . . Motrin. . . something just NOT those pills for God's sake!!!" Tomoe burst out. She couldn't keep it in any longer.  
  
Enishi was shocked. His sister had never had an outburst like that before. At least. . . not after Kenshin. . . died. ((AN: You'll find out someday. In good time people. . . all in good time. . . ^_~ I'm evil aren't I?)) He silently nodded, and ran to the kitchen to get Advil.  
  
Utena watched in amusement, then decided to walk to Tomoe's room. She put on a concerned face. "Tomoe? Are you alright?"  
  
Tomoe frowned at her, "Just what were those pills. . . anyway?"  
  
Utena frowned back, "I don't know what you're talking about. . ."  
  
"Those pills you've been giving me for a whole month. They haven't made me any better! You said they would!"  
  
Utena pouted, "Oh but they have! You probably would be even WORSE without them!"  
  
Tomoe glared daggers, "I don't believe you. . ."  
  
Enishi rushed back with the Advil. "I'm back!!!" he cried. He came into the room to find Utena and Tomoe having a death-glare contest. "Uhh. . ." he muttered. He went over to Tomoe. "Here's the Advil. . ."  
  
"Thank you Enishi." Tomoe took the Advil and dropped it down her throat. "Thank you. . ." almost immediately the pain in her stomach vanished. She smiled, rested back down and closed her eyes.  
  
Utena glared. 'I'm going to have to get rid of those damn Advils. . . if I don't. . . she'll live!'  
  
Enishi looked over at Utena with a concerned face. "What was all that about the pills?" he asked.  
  
Utena smiled nervously, "Oh nothing really, my love!"  
  
Enishi frowned. 'Something's wrong here. . . but I can't place my finger on it. . .Kaoru?' he wondered.  
  
~*~  
  
Misao sighed.  
  
Soujiro sighed.  
  
Misao looked over at Soujiro.  
  
Soujiro did the same thing, but with an intense gaze.  
  
Misao looked back down at the floor.  
  
Soujiro did the same thing, but with guilt in his eyes.  
  
Sanosuke burst out in laughter. "I'll leave you two alone for a while. . ." he grabbed Yahiko by the collar and dragged him to the boy's room.  
  
"Hey! Sanosuke! What are you doing??" Yahiko yelled, but his yells were quite once they got into the boy's room.  
  
Soujiro looked over at Misao. "Ano. . . Misao-dono?"  
  
"Just call me Misao. Yes?"  
  
Soujiro looked down, "Has anybody ever told you. . . you're a very beautiful girl?"  
  
Misao looked at him and blushed. "Well. . . I. . ."  
  
Soujiro scooted closer to her on the couch. "Well. . . I guess I just did, huh?"  
  
Misao smiled weakly, "Yah. . .you just did."  
  
They sat there in silence.  
  
"And. . . has anybody ever told you. . . you have an amazingly beautiful voice?" Soujiro continued.  
  
Misao looked at him again and blushed. "If you have something to say, say it."  
  
Soujiro turned red. "Well. . . I don't like words very much. . ."  
  
"Then don't speak, do something." It was almost like Misao was daring him.  
  
Soujiro brought his eyes to meet Misao's. "Well. . .okay. . ." he leaned forward.  
  
Misao knew what he was doing. 'But. . . but. . . Aoshi-sama?!?!?!?' her mind screamed. Another part of her said, 'Oh screw Aoshi. . .this guy is hot!' the other part said, 'NO NO NO!!!! Aoshi-sama!!!'  
  
But she couldn't do anything other then close her eyes when Soujiro pressed his lips to her's.  
  
Soujiro closed his eyes as well, and their first kiss was soft. . . and passionate.  
  
Of course, Sanosuke forgot to drag one other person out of the room. Megumi watched with a LARGE smile plastered on her face from ear to ear. Laughter was doomed to come out of her, but somehow she held it in. Slowly and quietly, she walked out of the room and towards the girl's room.  
  
The kiss felt like an eternity. Soujiro's tongue found it's way inside of Misao's mouth, and searching her felt like bliss. He had learned much from his former master, Shishio, about kissing, although he had never been kissed himself. Soujiro had watched Shishio and Yumi kiss many times before. . . Soujiro had left his master to find that kiss.  
  
Soujiro lifted his left hand to touch Misao's chin, and his right hand to run through her soft creamy raven hair.  
  
Misao couldn't help but kiss back. 'I think. . . I'm falling for him. . .' she thought.  
  
Sanosuke couldn't stop Yahiko from coming out of the boy's room. Yahiko snickered and ran over to Soujiro and Misao.  
  
The next thing they knew, they heard a VERY loud voice singing, "IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE! SO TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES!!!"  
  
Soujiro and Misao immediately pulled back from one another, and turned to glare at Yahiko. Misao stood up, "Oh you're going to get it now, Yahiko-CHAN!!!!" she hurled a few punches at him.  
  
Soujiro could only watch. "Maa. . . maa. . . Misao. . ." but he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Yahiko really ruined it. . . but at least it was as longer then he thought it would be. He thought Misao would reject him. But. . . she didn't.  
  
Misao finished her beating-of-Yahiko and turned to look at Soujiro, a blush on her face. "Is that all you have to tell me?" she asked.  
  
Soujiro smiled, "For tonight. . . yes. That's all. . . so far."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Okay people, POST!!!  
  
Should Misao either,  
  
A : Stick with Aoshi  
  
B : Run away with Soujiro  
  
C : Choose neither  
  
It's up to you minna-sama!!! But personally. . . I vote for B. ^_^ Ahem. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
Pssstt!! . . . . choose B!!!  
  
Ignore that. . .  
  
. . .B. . . ^_~ 


	20. Chapter Twenty

Author's Notes: I can assure you all this is pure K/K!!! NOT K/T!!! ^_~ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Though at times it might be a little K/T. . . but in the end. . . well. . . I'm still trying to figure out how Tomoe dies. . .opps. . . did I say that?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty. . . .yipes. . . already on twenty chapters??? What is this world coming to????. . .ahem. . .  
  
(ACHOO!!! ACHOO!!! Damnit, I can't stand these stupid things called. . .what are they again?)  
  
Rurouni frowned at him. [You mean sneezes?]  
  
(Yah that's it!!!)  
  
[* sigh *]  
  
Kenshin's eyes opened. Beautiful violet watered with tears, and if one looked carefully they would see amber electrifying close to the pupils.  
  
Kenshin turned his head towards the window, to see the rain still falling down the window. Thunder was heard overhead. That's when his ears heard breathing other then his own.  
  
Kenshin turned his head the other way to see Kaoru asleep on the floor next to him. He smiled softly. 'Of course. . . she must have fallen asleep next to me. . .Must have been worried. . .'  
  
Kenshin decided not to move or wake Kaoru. It felt. . . very peaceful right then. And something told him that this would be one of his last peaceful moments. On the wall the clock ticked. Tick tock. . . tick tock. . . Suddenly it struck midnight. Kenshin nearly groaned. 'It's still night?!?!?!'  
  
(Heh. . . Leave it to Kenshin to wake up in the middle of the night. . .)  
  
'Oh shut up!'  
  
(Ooooo feisty. . .)  
  
'Argg. . . I can't stand you! Would you go away???'  
  
(Sorry, but no can do.)  
  
'And why is that?'  
  
(. . . . Cuz I don't wanna.)  
  
'You're impossible. . .'  
  
Rurouni nodded his head.  
  
Kenshin sighed. Sitting up, he pushed the blankets over on top of Kaoru and rested the pillow underneath her head. After much difficulty, he made it appear Kaoru was on the futon. He stood up.  
  
'Tomoe. . .' he thought. His wife. . . He remembered her clearly, but everything else was blank. Her beautiful face. . . her soft crisp voice. . . her delicate lips. . .  
  
Kenshin shook his head. 'I need to get these thoughts out of my head. . .' he headed for the door.  
  
Walking out to the kitchen, Kenshin looked around the dark living room. 'Nothing different . .' he thought.  
  
No, nothing was different. Yahiko was sprawled on top of the couch, snoring very loudly, Misao was asleep on Soujiro's shoulder, Soujiro had his hand on top of Misao's hand, Sanosuke was asleep leaning on the boy's room door with his head hung low, Megumi was sleeping with her head on his lap and one of her hands clutching Sanosuke's pants.  
  
Kenshin's smile went from ear to ear.  
  
No, nothing was different.  
  
Kenshin walked into the kitchen, got a cup and filled it with sake. He looked inside of the sake, as if it would answer all his questions.  
  
How did he know Tomoe?  
  
When had he loved her?  
  
How was she related to Enishi and Saitoh?  
  
Why was she so sad?  
  
But the sake wouldn't say anything, so Kenshin gulped it all down. A song popped into Kenshin's head. He smiled softly, remembering it. He didn't know how he knew the song it just. . . popped in his head.  
  
"Darkness . . . darkness all around me,  
Blinding me. . . from the light,  
Cry. . . cry for love, cry for the light of love,  
Darkness cannot kill. . . the strongest of them all. . . you and me.  
  
Darkness. . . darkness all around me,  
Taking away. . . all of my love,  
Cry. . . cry for light, cry for the love,  
The love. . . the love of my life.  
  
Things just don't make sense at all,  
Love being one of them,  
Things just don't go right at all,  
Within the dark. . .the dark of tears."  
  
Kenshin slowly and softly sang the words just over a whisper, making sure that the others couldn't hear him. The words brought tears to his eyes. He remembered the title, 'The Dark Of Tears'. ((AN: Okay. . . I know the song sucks. . . but I had to. . .^_~))  
  
Kenshin finished the song and a tear slid down his face. "T-Tomoe. . ." he whispered. He couldn't help but feel like he had sang the song before. . . to her. To Tomoe. . . his wife.  
  
Kenshin wiped the tear off his cheek. They were beautiful once. . . tears. But now Kenshin was sick of crying. . . sick of being weak and crying. But he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Kenshin wiped the tears again and again until they were all finally gone.  
  
Kenshin took another gulp of sake from the bottle. The gulp before. . . he couldn't even taste the sake. This time, Kenshin's eyes widened as he tasted the bitter-sweet taste of sake. It was. . . delicious. Kenshin smiled. He decided he liked this stuff. . . sake. So he gulped down some more. And more. And. . . more.  
  
The sake slid down his throat, smoothing it, making it feel better and not choked up with tears. Kenshin's smile got sloppier.  
  
(Hahah. . . gimmie some more!!!)  
  
Rurouni looked at Battousai with a worried face. [You remember the LAST time you had too much sake?]  
  
(. . .No.)  
  
[Well I do!]  
  
Both Kenshin and Battousai stared at Rurouni. 'Was it before. . . well. . . when we were Battousai?' Kenshin asked.  
  
Rurouni looked at them. [Maybe. . . maybe not.]  
  
(Oh please tell us!!!)  
  
[Oh. . . alright. Yes. It was when we were Battousai. I don't know how I remember it. . .]  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
"Give me some of that sake!" Kenshin growled. His amber eyes seethed with anger at the other men.  
  
One of them gave him a whole bottle of sake. "There you go buddy."  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed. 'They apparently don't realize I'm the Battousai. . .' He took a gulp of the sake.  
  
Then another. . .  
  
Then another. . .  
  
After a while, the men sitting at the table around him where very blurry. . . and there were two of each of them.  
  
One of them laughed. "Hey there buddy. . . you don't look too good!"  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed more, as if he couldn't see anything. "Shut up!" he barked.  
  
The men all laughed. "Seems our friend here has had a bit too much sake!" said one.  
  
"Yah. . . what do you think would happen if we showed him a girl?" asked another.  
  
The other men laughed hysterically. One of the men saw a woman passing by. "Hey there miss!"  
  
She turned. "Huh?"  
  
He grabbed her hand and shoved her over to Kenshin. "AHH!!!" she screamed.  
  
Kenshin looked at the woman, now sitting on his lap with a large blush on her face. She wasn't wearing very formal clothing. In fact. . . Kenshin had a very good view from where he was sitting. He smiled. "Hello. . ." he said, huskily.  
  
The men all laughed, as if it were a joke.  
  
The girl saw the glint of lust in Kenshin's eye, and she screamed. "Get away from me!" she got off of Kenshin's lap and ran over to her other friends.  
  
Kenshin frowned, "Aww. . ." he pouted.  
  
The men laughed.  
  
That's when Katsura showed up next to Kenshin. "Himura. . . I thought you HAVE a wife. . ."  
  
Kenshin looked up at him and frowned, "Yah. . . a wife at home. There's a large difference."  
  
The men laughed louder.  
  
Katsura frowned. "Let's get out of here Himura. You're too young to be with these morons."  
  
One of the men smiled, "Ahh come on! Let the kid stay!"  
  
Katsura took Kenshin's hand like he was a baby. "Come on now. . ."  
  
Kenshin glared, "No! I want to stay here!"  
  
"You've had too much sake. . ."  
  
"How would you know?" Kenshin glared daggers at Katsura and saw two men behind him in the shadows. His eyes widened with rage. "You have spies watching me???"  
  
Katsura ignored him. "Let's go. . ."  
  
"NO!" Kenshin pulled back on Katsura and sat back down in his chair. "I want to stay here!"  
  
"You're acting like a child Himura. But I have to think that's what sake can do to a fifteen year old."  
  
Kenshin glared at him, but realized that he really was acting foolish. He stood up, yanked his hand from Katsura's, and ran away.  
  
The men watched him go. "Hey! Why'd you have to scare him away?"  
  
"None of your business. Go back to your sake." And with that, Katsura headed towards where Kenshin had ran.  
  
Tears threatened to pierce Kenshin's amber eyes. 'I mustn't cry. . . I mustn't. I'm the Hitokiri Battousai. . . I can't be weak!' he blinked the tears away and stopped running. He was in the Tokyo Park. Tomoe lived with him in Kyoto. He was some ways away from Kyoto. He cursed under his breath. He had to get home. He had to get home fast. He wanted to see Tomoe. He had to see. . . Tomoe.  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Kenshin let his head fall onto his arms on the table. It was late at night, and he was still recovering. His blood red hair fell into his face, and Kenshin closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him once more.  
  
And he dreamt of her.  
  
He dreamt. . . of Tomoe.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Hello everybody! I realize the song sucks, but oh well. ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! True K/K all the way!!! ^_~ 


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Author's Notes: Hello everybody, we're just now starting into the twenties!!! WHOOHOO!!! ^_^ Ahhh this is exciting. . . I'm sitting on the edge of my seat!! Everybody's asking me what's going to happen, and I say to myself, "What IS going to happen???" Cuz quite frankly, I'm reading this with the rest of you. I'm just letting my imagination take control and write for me. ^_~ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-One  
  
The sun kissed the earth as it flew up to the sky. Orange, pink, blue and yellow were all mixed, and the sight was beautiful. It had stopped raining, and the mama birds fed their hungry little baby birds, who chirped loudly, awaiting their breakfast. Nothing could break the beautiful crisp air of that wonderful summer morning. Nothing except. . .  
  
"YAHIKO-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kaoru screamed as she saw Yahiko trying his best to make pancakes for everybody.  
  
The plan was simple, but Yahiko wasn't close to succeeding. The pancakes were all burned, and the toast was on fire. He screamed. "AHHH!!!!"  
  
Sanosuke ran inside the kitchen, got out the large bottle of water and poured it over everything until the fire was out. He looked over at Yahiko, "Well kid, you tried. Thanks. But uhh. . . I think you need cooking lessons." He grinned.  
  
Kaoru however, was not so kind.  
  
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????"  
  
Yahiko pouted with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry I was just. . . trying to help. . ."  
  
Kaoru softened at that. "Well. . . Thank you Yahiko, but like Sanosuke said I think you need cooking lessons. Maybe you could talk Kenshin into doing that!" she looked around. "Where is Kenshin anyway? He wasn't in his room. . ."  
  
Sanosuke looked around as well, calling out for Kenshin.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, everybody was searching for him. Misao sighed. "He's gone missing. AGAIN!!!"  
  
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Probably went out to get. . . tofu or something I dunno. . ."  
  
Soujiro shook his head. "There is darkness in the air. . ." he whispered.  
  
Misao looked over at him with concerned eyes. 'Soujiro. . .'  
  
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.  
  
Kaoru sighed. "I. . . I saw him just last night. . ." she thought, 'Where could he have gone?'  
  
~*~  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
"So . . . um. Do you have . . . family?" she asked.  
  
Kenshin looked over at her with a stern face. His different shades of blue eyes searched her, questioning. "I thought we said no questions."  
  
She looked down. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know . . ." her voice was barely over a whisper.  
  
Kenshin looked down at his dinner that she had made. "My parents died of cholera when I was . . . but a small child. Hiko took me in and made me his apprentice and heir to the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. I . . . can't remember my family."  
  
She looked at him with sad eyes. "I see . . ."  
  
They continued to eat their dinner in silence. They lived in a small hut near Kyoto. It was small . . . but cozy. They went to town only to buy food and clothing. They took many walks. They were always silent but . . . they were happy.  
  
The fire continued to burn. Kenshin stared into it, his blue eyes captivated. She couldn't help but think he was so handsome at that moment.  
  
Kenshin stood up and walked away from the tiny table. He strode over to the futons on the other side of the room. He didn't bother with the dishes.  
  
She took the dishes and began to wash them. Kenshin sighed as he changed into his white yakata behind the Japanese screen. The screen had a beautiful white swan on it. It was one of their few possessions.  
  
After finally washing the dishes, she walked over to her vanity and pulled on the drawer.  
  
Kenshin, at this point, walked over to the other side of the Japanese screen and over to the futons. He didn't get in his, though. Instead, he rested against the wall with his katana on his shoulder. His head leaned forward, his blood red bangs blocking view of his blue eyes. He pretended to be asleep, but she knew he was not.  
  
Pulling out a mirror from the drawer, she looked at herself carefully. She had dark hair and brown . . . sad eyes. Still looking in the mirror, she raised her left hand to her left cheek. Running her finger down from the corner of her eye to the corner of her mouth, her thoughts strayed to Kenshin. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but, like a lady, she held them in.  
  
Putting the mirror back into the drawer, she pulled out a journal. She began writing in ink of the day's events, which wasn't much.  
  
She and Kenshin had taken a walk outside . . . towards town. They had walked together down long stone steps. The scenery was beautiful, since it was early fall. Kenshin had helped her when she nearly tripped down the stairs, and she felt safe with his hand in hers.  
  
They remained silent together. Kenshin had bought the fish that they had for dinner. They had watched the water in the lake as the sun began to go down. It was one of their most precious moments; Kenshin had nearly smiled at her.  
  
"Tomoe, you better get some sleep." Kenshin's concerned voice rang in her ears.  
  
Even though she wanted to write more, Tomoe knew she could not disobey him. She carefully put the journal back into the drawer, and then closed it. But not without making sure her dagger was still there. She looked at it with hate and love at the same time. But she didn't hesitate to put it back in the drawer.  
  
Walking over to Kenshin, Tomoe sat down on the futon. "You will not sleep on the futon?" she asked softly, but she knew he would refuse.  
  
But tonight, Kenshin looked up at her. He put his katana down on the floor and got into the futon.  
  
Tomoe watched in surprise. 'But then again . . . he is a very surprising man,' she thought.  
  
Kenshin looked at her one more time before closing his eyes, and finally drifting off into peaceful dreams.  
  
Tomoe softly smiled and nodded her head. She rested down on the pillow and closed her eyes as well, happy to finally sleep with Kenshin . . . her husband.  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`  
  
Kenshin had closed his eyes as he remembered that precious night with Tomoe. Anything before and after that was lost to him. But that memory with Tomoe was all he really needed. He knew he loved her.  
  
Kenshin was sitting on a bench in the Tokyo Park; away from the woods. Things were quiet. Too quiet. His eyes opened as he was paranoid that somebody was bound to appear in front of him in ask of a fight.  
  
But nobody came.  
  
He knew that everybody was probably worried about him, but he knew that they knew he was able to take care of himself . . . . Except for when it rained. He still felt weak from yesterday, and with this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach he knew that being weak today was probably going to be his downfall.  
  
But he was still tired and his eyes drooped closed. He was still awake . . . well . . . partly. But he was awake enough to notice the large shadow in front of him.  
  
His now amber eyes snapped open and he saw who was in front of him. The man had dark green hair, a white and red cape, was fairly broad shouldered and very tall.  
  
"Ahhh . . . there you are baka deshi," the man said.  
  
Kenshin cocked his head, "Oro?"  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "Baka deshi, what has gotten into you these days?"  
  
". . .Nani?"  
  
"That's better."  
  
Kenshin sighed. "Do I know you?"  
  
The man chuckled. "Yes as a matter of fact. I'm the one who created you. I have this really cool detector that tells me exactly where you are, cool right?"  
  
Kenshin looked at him like some kind of freak.  
  
The man coughed, "Anyway, I would have hoped you would remember me, but apparently not all of your memory was restored." He sighed. "My name is Hiko Seijiro."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. ". . .Master?"  
  
Hiko grinned. "Correct, baka deshi. Now, you might be wondering why I tracked you down."  
  
Kenshin nodded numbly.  
  
"Well . . ." Hiko looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. "It's about . . . well . . . some funky stuff."  
  
"Oro?"  
  
"It's a girl."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Utena Tokashi. She's well . . . a bad girl in this story you might say."  
  
Kenshin nodded slowly. "Okay. . . what did she do?"  
  
"She took pills from me. If you give them to a person on a regular basis, they'll die in two months. No sooner, no later."  
  
Kenshin cocked his head. "Why would she want those pills?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"And this has something to do with me . . . how?"  
  
Hiko slapped Kenshin upside the head. "BAKA DESHI!!!" he shouted, then looking around nervously and began whispering again. "I don't honestly don't know, but something tells me you have a part in this story."  
  
"Well of course, I'm the main character. . ."  
  
"BAKA DESHI!!!"  
  
"ORO!"  
  
Hiko calmed down. "Something tells me, with my swordsman instinct, something bad is going to happen."  
  
Kenshin nodded slowly, "I feel the same way."  
  
Hiko couldn't stop looking at Kenshin. It amazed him so much that he actually brought Kenshin back to life! . . . well . . . sort of. He didn't have all of his memories back . . . yet. Hiko grinned.  
  
They sat in silence, waiting for something to happen.  
  
It never did.  
  
Well, not where THEY were.  
  
~*~  
  
Aoshi knocked on the Kamiya/Makimachi door.  
  
Soujiro, being the gentleman he was, answered it. Putting a smile on his face, he asked, "What can I do for you sir?"  
  
Aoshi's right eyebrow twitched some, but then he saw Misao behind Soujiro and he smiled softly. "Hello there Misao."  
  
Kaoru came walking over, "Oh hey there Aoshi! Come in, come in!"  
  
Soujiro opened the door all the way, and allowed Aoshi to enter. A butterfly was in his stomach the moment Aoshi first spoke to Misao.  
  
Misao looked from Aoshi, to Soujiro, to Aoshi, to Soujiro. 'Okay Misao, calm yourself. You have to pick ONE of them. . .' but nevertheless, she smiled at Aoshi. "Hey there Aoshi-sama!"  
  
Aoshi walked over to her, patted her on the head with affection, whispered hello, then turned to Kaoru. "Where is Himura-san?"  
  
Kaoru's smile vanished. "He's off somewhere; we don't know where."  
  
Aoshi's concern in his eye grew more. "This is not good. Something bad has happened in Tokyo."  
  
Sanosuke frowned, "Why? What?"  
  
Aoshi looked over at him. "Fires have spread all around. The police and firemen are trying their best to fight it, but they aren't doing much. Many people have already died."  
  
Megumi sighed, "But it just rained!"  
  
"It's not natural fire."  
  
Everybody looked carefully at Aoshi. Soujiro frowned and his smile vanished. 'Fire. . .' his thoughts roamed to Shishio. ((AN: No it's not what you think. ^_~))  
  
Misao looked over at Soujiro's sad face. She didn't know about Shishio, but she wanted to. She wanted to help him. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Sou-chan."  
  
Soujiro looked at her with wide eyes. "Sou. . -chan?" he whispered.  
  
Misao smiled and softly giggled.  
  
Soujiro smiled back.  
  
Aoshi watched with discomfort. 'Something's misplaced. . .' he thought. 'I'll have to meditate on this. . .' ((AN: No I'm not an Aoshi- basher. ^_^ I love Aoshi-sama!))  
  
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.  
  
Sanosuke huffed, "Well, what are we going to do about the fire? Not much I would think. . ."  
  
Aoshi looked at him with a stern face, "Actually, you're right. We can't fight the fire as well as firemen and police can. But we can get out of here and save ourselves."  
  
Yahiko frowned, "So we're just going to run?!?"  
  
Kaoru nodded, "Good idea Aoshi. But . . . where do we go?"  
  
Aoshi turned to her. "We go to Kyoto, where I live."  
  
Sanosuke nodded.  
  
"But . . . what about Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Aoshi looked down. "I don't know where to find him; I wish we had the time. We need to leave as soon as possible. The fire will soon spread here. Everybody needs to get packed. I'll write a note to Himura-san and leave it here."  
  
Kaoru looked down as well, but nodded. 'Fire. . . it will soon consume my apartment and everything inside of it. . . Kenshin. . .' she decided to take action. There was no time to waste. "Come on everybody! Let's get packed!!! Sanosuke! Help Yahiko! Megumi! Help Misao! Come on people! Bring everything you NEED. Not WANT. NEED!!!"  
  
Aoshi watched her with concerned eyes. He wrote down the note to Kenshin.  
  
"Himura-san,  
  
We have all fled from the fire spreading throughout Tokyo to Kyoto, where I live. Please join us there, or get to somewhere where it is safe from fire.  
  
~Aoshi Shinomori"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin and Hiko were still in the Tokyo park.  
  
Hiko looked around. "Do you smell something?"  
  
Kenshin sniffed the air. "No."  
  
Hiko frowned. "Oh. Okay."  
  
Meanwhile, fire was spreading towards the park. People were running away and leaving their homes, fleeing to safety. The police and firemen were trying their best to stop the fire, but nothing would work. Saitoh was one of them. He grunted. 'This is not Yukishiro's doing. But it can't be a random killer either. Who did this?' he wondered.  
  
~*~  
  
Utena smiled deviously as she lit another house on fire. 'This'll drive Tomoe and Enishi out of town. Where will they go, eh? Tomoe cannot travel very far because of her illness. This will definitely kill her. Finally. . .'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: HELLO!!! Wow. . . 152 reviews!!! THANK YOU! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!! Chibi feels so happy! ^____^ 


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Author's Notes: Hello everybody!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I decided to go with Misao/Soujiro/Aoshi triangle. ^_^; Which in other words means she'll be with BOTH of them. ^.^;  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
It was a long trip to Kyoto, and Misao didn't like it one bit. She walked beside Soujiro. Megumi and Kaoru were chatting noisily in front of them, Sanosuke was in the back humming a duet with Yahiko, and Aoshi was in the front, leading them. Misao turned to look at Soujiro. "Sou-chan, tell me something about yourself."  
  
Soujiro looked at her, still getting used to her new nick-name for him. "Well, I came from my master, who taught me everything I know about swords and. . ."  
  
"You know sword?" Misao asked.  
  
Soujiro looked down, "Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry. Continue."  
  
Soujiro smiled softly, "My master was in love with a beautiful woman named Yumi. I was . . . very envious. I knew I couldn't have Yumi; I looked to her like a sister. But maybe if I became a Rurouni I would find my true love. My master allowed me to leave for as long as I want. That. . . was three years ago."  
  
Misao smiled sadly, "You haven't seen your master in three years?"  
  
Soujiro nodded.  
  
They kept walking. The sounds of fire faded away behind them, and they were coming to safety quickly. Soujiro didn't say anything until, "Tell me a bit of yourself, Misao."  
  
Misao smiled brightly, "Well, I'm kind of a loner too. . . well. . . not really. I live Kaoru. I work at a hair-cutter and in case you were wondering, I'm sixteen."  
  
Soujiro blushed.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Twenty-two."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They kept walking.  
  
It was silent until Sanosuke shouted out, "GODS THIS IS BORING!!!"  
  
~*~  
  
Enishi looked at the burning town. 'Tomoe. . . I need to save her!' he thought.  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin and Hiko sat on the bench until they heard a cracking sound. Kenshin turned around slowly, then said, "Master?"  
  
"Yes baka deshi?"  
  
". . . Fire."  
  
"AHHHH!!!" they both got up and tried to run away from the fire.  
  
Kenshin looked around, then saw a house not too far away on fire. The house was on the very edge of the park and the town. Screams came from inside. 'Who ever is in there, I need to save them!' he thought.  
  
Hiko watched as Kenshin ran towards the house. "Baka deshi! Come back here! . . . KENSHIN!"  
  
Kenshin jumped through the window inside, and listened carefully.  
  
"Help! Help me!" came a woman's voice.  
  
Kenshin ran down a hall, covering his mouth with his sleeve. Bashing through a door, Kenshin glanced at the woman sitting on a futon. Without really paying any attention to what she looked like, he picked her up and ran back out the door.  
  
Escaping through the window seemed possible, so Kenshin ran for it. Fire was catching onto the window. Kenshin turned around and covered the woman with his body and jumped backwards out the window.  
  
Landing on his back with the woman on top of him, Kenshin felt his back burning like ice. He stomped his back on the ground a bit until the fire was gone.  
  
Kenshin looked at the woman.  
  
The woman looked at Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin examined her carefully. She had dark hair, brown eyes, a soft fragile face and delicate hands. She was wearing a yakata, and Kenshin could tell from the blue under her eyes that she was sick.  
  
The woman's eyes widened. She whispered, ". . . Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin cocked his head. (Do we know her?) Battousai asked.  
  
Rurouni looked at her carefully. Then his eyes widened.  
  
". . . T-Tomoe?!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Hummmm. . . hi hey ha la la la. . ." Sanosuke sang, quite noisily.  
  
Yahiko smiled as he sang, "Hummmm. . . la la la ha hey hi!"  
  
Sanosuke and Yahiko both waved their arms in the air and did something like a tango. "HEYA!!! HEYA!!" they both shouted.  
  
Kaoru's eye twitched.  
  
"HEYA!!! HEYO!!!" Sanosuke and Yahiko both kicked their legs out.  
  
Misao's eye twitched.  
  
"HEYLO! HEYNA!!" Sanosuke and Yahiko both did something like the chicken dance.  
  
Megumi's eye twitched.  
  
Sanosuke pretended to have a guitar and he played on it furiously while Yahiko kept singing, "SHA LA LA LA LA!!!"  
  
Soujiro's eye twitched.  
  
Now Yahiko was playing the guitar and Sanosuke shouted, "DODO!!"  
  
It was then that something happened that nobody thought would ever happen:  
  
Aoshi's eye twitched.  
  
Sanosuke and Yahiko grinned. Their plan had worked. They had gotten on Aoshi's nerves and he had actually moved a part of his face to express it. "OH YEAH!!! WE DID IT!!!" they both screamed.  
  
Kaoru couldn't take it anymore. "YOU IDIOTS!! SHUT UP!!! I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!! YOU MORONS!!!"  
  
About thirty minutes later, the fight had ended, and the group continued on their way with Sanosuke and Yahiko dragging themselves along with bruises and sores over their whole bodies.  
  
~*~  
  
Hiko ran to where the woman and Kenshin lay on the ground. Seeing Kenshin's burned clothes, he smiled, "Ah, nothing to worry about." He muttered. "You can't feel it anyway. . ." then he saw pain on Kenshin's face, and tears brimming in his eyes. He looked down carefully to look under the clothe covering Kenshin's shoulder to find burnt skin. "Not good. . . not good. . . Better get you to a doctor, and soon!" Hiko said.  
  
The woman looked up at him with saddened eyes.  
  
Kenshin looked up at Hiko. "No. Please. We must get HER to the Doctor first!"  
  
Hiko frowned, then nodded. "Alright. Fine."  
  
Kenshin picked the woman back up and looked around at the burning city. "Who could have done this. . .?" he whispered.  
  
Tears escaped the woman's eyes. "This is Utena's doing! I know it!" she sobbed.  
  
Kenshin looked worriedly at her. "Tomoe. . ." he whispered. ((AN: Please don't kill me!!! K/K all the way!))  
  
Suddenly Enishi ran up to them. He took one glance at Tomoe is Kenshin's arms and growled, "Stop holding her like that, Battousai!"  
  
Kenshin frowned. "Where were you? She could have died in the fire."  
  
"I was coming to save her as fast as I could!!"  
  
"Apparently not fast enough."  
  
Hiko watched the conversation. 'Kenshin's very protective of that woman. But who. . .' he looked at her more carefully. 'She looks familiar. . . is that blue under her eyes?'  
  
Enishi and Kenshin had a staring contest, while Tomoe watched the house go up in flames.  
  
Hiko smiled weakly, "Uhh. . . we need to get out of here. . ." he said. Grabbing Kenshin by the shoulder, he pulled him away from Enishi.  
  
They began walking away, but Enishi just followed them.  
  
Kenshin frowned as he thought, 'I should go tell Kaoru about this. Hopefully she's already gotten away. . .'  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"To Kaoru's apartment."  
  
"Oh really. . ."  
  
"Yes. We need to warn them about the fire."  
  
"Hn. . . . Would you stop holding Tomoe like that, Battousai?"  
  
"What do you want me to do, have her walk on her own?"  
  
". . . well I . . ."  
  
"Then shut up."  
  
Hiko looked carefully at Kenshin. 'He's in a bad mood. . .' he thought. 'His eyes are amber. . . not a good sign. . .'  
  
They arrived at the apartment at last. The fire was spreading quickly to it, so Kenshin rushed inside with Tomoe still in his arms. "KAORU!!! KAORU!!!" he shouted.  
  
They weren't there.  
  
Kenshin looked at a note on the counter.  
  
"Himura-san,  
  
We have all fled from the fire spreading throughout Tokyo to Kyoto, where I live. Please join us there, or get to somewhere where it is safe from fire  
  
~Aoshi Shinomori"  
  
Kenshin sighed in relief. 'Good. . . they're already off to safety.' He looked down at Tomoe.  
  
Tomoe looked up at him. She whispered, "How. . . how are you alive?"  
  
Kenshin frowned, and didn't answer. He rushed back out the door to where Enishi and Hiko were having a staring contest. "We go to Kyoto!" he shouted over the fire.  
  
Enishi gaped, "What? Kyoto? Who lives there?"  
  
Kenshin glared at him. "I'm bringing Tomoe with us wither you like it or not. You can tag along with us, but otherwise, you're on your own."  
  
Hiko nearly burst out in laughter. 'Kenshin sure is being protective. Tomoe. . . that name. . .' his eyes widened. 'His wife! Of course!'  
  
Kenshin turned to look at Hiko. "Are you coming?"  
  
Hiko snapped out of his daze. "Don't we want to bring food or something?"  
  
Kenshin nodded slowly, remembering. He wouldn't let Tomoe out of his grasp though, so he told Hiko where everything was. Though Hiko disliked taking orders from his own baka deshi, he did it anyway.  
  
Enishi watched angrily. "You can't take Tomoe with you! She's my sister!"  
  
"Enishi, please!" Tomoe said softly. "Let him take me. . ." then she whispered, "I still don't understand Kenshin. You. . . you died!"  
  
Kenshin looked down at her, "I did?" he whispered back.  
  
Tomoe nodded.  
  
Kenshin looked back up at Hiko and didn't respond to her again. "We're leaving now."  
  
Hiko had a large basket on his back. He and Kenshin with Tomoe grasped tightly in his arms, both ran off.  
  
Enishi mumbled some curses under his breath, looked back at the fire, gulped, then followed them.  
  
Baby blue eyes danced with laughter in the middle of the fire. "Kenshin Himura? The Hitokiri Battousai?" she asked aloud. "Oh this is perfect. I'll be able to get revenge on both of them at the same time!" she laughed hysterically.  
  
~*~  
  
Misao was thinking hard on who she would pick.  
  
Aoshi Shinomori. Tall, manly and handsome. Cold and stubborn, no sense of humor but very romantic. Lives in Kyoto, is a secret under-cover spy and is almost always trying to change Misao.  
  
Soujiro Seta. Averagely tall, feminine and beautiful. Happy and yet deep within very depressed, a great sense of humor and VERY romantic. Doesn't have a home, ran away from his master to find true love, and seems to love Misao for who she is.  
  
Hmmm. . . toughy.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: I liked doing the ending part. Buwahahhah. . . ahem. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please review minna-sama!!! Chibi is trying to get 200 reviews!!! ^_~ 


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Author's Notes: HELLO EVERYBODY!!! I'M BACK!!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! THANK YOU MINNA-SAMA!!  
  
If you are not this person, don't read. If you ARE this person, READ!!  
  
Female Hitokiri Battousai: Hey, girl, thanks for the long review. It's ok, I totally understand that you hate Tomoe. I've been trying to figure out how to dodge the bullet of Tomoe telling Enishi that he should dump Kaoru, and then not remember her name. And then I said, OH I KNOW!!! And so, don't worry, it'll turn out good in the end.  
  
God's. . . how many times have I told you that???  
  
Anyway, your request shall be fulfilled. I got a BEAUTIFUL idea, (as always. . .) and I know exactly what to do about that. Don't worry your butt off, ANGST ON THE WAY!!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ahem. I mean, later. ^_~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story! . . . finally . . .  
  
Chapter Twenty-Three  
  
The journey to Kyoto didn't last very long. Probably everybody was practically running away from the fire. . . .Running. And running. And some more running. And some MORE running. . .  
  
(I. . am. . .)  
  
[Don't say it.]  
  
(. . .Very . . . very. . .)  
  
[Please don't say it!]  
  
(. . .Very. . . VERY. . .)  
  
[Here it comes!!!]  
  
(. . .BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Battousai stomped about the place, his amber eyes flashing with utmost anger.  
  
Rurouni sighed. [I know. . . I know. I am too. But there isn't anything we can do about it right now! We just have to keep running.]  
  
(But I'm TIRED of running!)  
  
[. . .* sigh *]  
  
(Would you stop sighing???)  
  
[. . .]  
  
'Hmmm. . . hmhmhmhm. . .lalalal. . .'  
  
(WOULD YOU STOP HUMMING????)  
  
'. . .'  
  
Battousai looked at Rurouni and Kenshin, and glared evilly. (Oh what I would do for a little excitement right now . . .) he looked at the sun. (Ahh the sun. . . hey wait. Where's the sun??? WHERE'S THE FREAKIN SUN????)  
  
[It's night! Where have you been the entire journey, eh?] Rurouni was very irritated. Of course, that's what a lot of running can do to you.  
  
Enishi was grumbling behind them, Hiko was trying his best to still look strong with an extremely heavy basket on his back, and was actually succeeding at it, Kenshin's eyes were turning from amber to violet, back and forth, and Tomoe was in Kenshin's arms, thinking hard.  
  
'Kenshin died. . . and now he's alive???' she thought. 'How can this be? What in the world happened to him? And what about. . .' she shook that thought out of her head, but it kept coming. 'What about his scar?'  
  
Tomoe looked up at Kenshin's left cheek. 'It's not there. . . But how? I will have to figure out the answer later on. I can still remember. . . how he got that scar. . .'  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
'It was when my fiancé went out. . . trying to impress me, and playing the role of a body guard. He thought he needed to impress me. . . but he didn't. I loved him for who he was. And still do!  
  
'But he was killed. . . by the Hitokiri Battousai. . . . Kenshin. I was devastated. I couldn't go on. At least. . . that's what I believed. I was set up to marry Kenshin Himura, and we lived in a small hut in the woods where nobody knew we lived. Well. . . Enishi found us. And. . . so did our father. . . .'  
  
"Is this the home of Kenshin Himura?" cried a man.  
  
Tomoe opened the shoji. Her eyes widened. ". . .F-Father?"  
  
The man frowned. "Tomoe. So this is where you have run off to, eh?"  
  
Tomoe looked down, and tried to close the shoji.  
  
"Oh no you don't, young lady! Come back here or I'll. . ." he was cut off.  
  
A stern voice. . . no. An angry voice spoke as a firm grip took the man's hand off of Tomoe's wrist, "What seems to be the trouble, sir?"  
  
The man glared. "You. You are the Hitokiri Battousai! You killed my daughter's fiancé!! Then you married my daughter and took her to this deserted place???"  
  
"Father. . . you don't understand. . ."  
  
"Oh I understand completely. You would rather live with. . . with this beast! Then live with your father!"  
  
Tomoe allowed a tear to escape. "No. . . no you don't understand! I love Ken. . ."  
  
"You will say no such thing! You don't know who you love until your forty! And then you're too old to use that love!"  
  
A sob.  
  
"Get out here and fight me, Battousai. Fight me, and I shall kill you! I will, for all the horrible things you've done and all the people you've killed. . ."  
  
Another sob.  
  
"That'll be enough." Kenshin's blue eyes rose to meet with Tomoe's father's. "I have no wish to fight you."  
  
"Tomoe, get out here, right now! Front and center, young lady!" her father barked.  
  
"Father I don't. . ."  
  
"Right now you little bi. .."  
  
"Excuse me!!!" Kenshin shouted. "But I will not allow you to speak to my wife like that." He stepped out of the hut, hand on his katana.  
  
Watching from the tree, Enishi gasped. 'Dad's going to battle the Battousai. He'll kill him for sure!'  
  
Tomoe's father chuckled. "Oh really? Your wife? You're fifteen years old, or maybe even younger! Do you really think you can defeat me?"  
  
"Why do you think they call me the Battousai?"  
  
Tomoe's father had a click in his mind. 'Why is he called the Battousai? I'll just have to find out. For sure I'll kill the brat, take Tomoe home, and get an even better reputation for killing the Battousai!'  
  
"Are you done thinking yet?" Kenshin asked. He wanted to get this fight over with.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Kenshin got into position. He wasn't fighting this man just because he had pissed him off. It was obvious that Tomoe's father had done many horrible things in his life. People like him shouldn't be around this world if Kenshin was ever to create the new era of Japan. That was all he ever really wanted.  
  
Tomoe shook her head, "No Kenshin don't! Please don't! He's my father!"  
  
". . .Hn."  
  
The fight began.  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Tomoe closed her eyes as she remembered that fight. Kenshin had cut her father down his chest and stomach, but didn't kill him. It wasn't until around last year that her father died because of that wound.  
  
Kenshin had shown mercy. Even if it was little mercy, it was the first time he had ever done so in his entire life.  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru looked behind herself and saw the smoke raising from Tokyo. 'Well. . . there goes my dance lessons. All I wanted was a dance partner, and so many things had to happen. . .' her thoughts roamed to Kenshin.  
  
'That night. . . when he was talking to somebody else. . . I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to throw a fit. I did. I really did. But I held it in because something was wrong with Kenshin. Something wasn't right, and I didn't want to hurt him even more.' She sighed.  
  
"Anything wrong tanuki?"  
  
"No Megumi. . .I'm fine."  
  
"Alright then. . ."  
  
Misao's eyes fluttered. "Can we stop for the night? Please?" she asked.  
  
Aoshi turned and saw her lazily carrying herself along. "Right. There's a hotel up ahead."  
  
Everybody was so happy. The girls got one room and the boys got another room in the hotel. After having dinner, they all went to bed.  
  
"Hey Kaoru-chan?" Misao whispered.  
  
Kaoru turned around to face her bed-partner. Megumi demanded to have a bed of her own, so Misao and Kaoru were sharing one. "Yeah?"  
  
". . .What do you think. . . . about Sou-chan?"  
  
"Soujiro?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"He's nice."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"And calm, and peaceful, funny, humorous, and doesn't have very many fits. I like him. He's very nice, like I said. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well. . ."  
  
"WOULD YOU TWO STOP WHISPERING????" Megumi yelled, throwing a pillow over her ears.  
  
Misao and Kaoru giggled. "Well. . ." Misao continued. "I ask because. . .I like. . . LIKE him."  
  
Kaoru stopped giggling. "But. . . what about Aoshi?"  
  
"That's where I'm in trouble."  
  
Kaoru turned around so that her back was facing Misao. "Misao, you gotta stick with one man. It's the same for men. They've got to stick with one woman." Her thoughts crossed Kenshin, and a tear spilled from her eye. "Stick by your man, Misao. Aoshi. Soujiro is nice, but Aoshi is your boyfriend. He loves you. Remember that."  
  
Misao frowned, and sighed. "You're right. How can I be daydreaming about Soujiro, when it's Aoshi who is my boyfriend. . ." but her thoughts still roamed to her Sou-chan.  
  
~*~  
  
Utena followed them carefully. She watched Kenshin as he carried Tomoe, Enishi in the very back, grumbling, and Hiko carrying the heavy basket of STUFF. She grinned. 'And now for my plan. . .' Her clothes were ripped and burned in various places, and she had dirt all over her.  
  
Crying fake tears, Utena ran out to where Enishi walked. "Enishi!. . .* sob * Enishi!!!" she screamed.  
  
All four of them turned around to see Utena jump into Enishi's arms. "Oh Enishi! I just barely escaped from the fire! My darling, I was so scared!!!"  
  
Enishi held onto her, wondering how she had found them.  
  
Meanwhile, Kenshin held firmly to Tomoe, and Hiko looked at Utena with amazement and wonder. 'That's the girl I gave the pills to!!! Oh. . . I have regretted letting that girl take those pills when they're so dangerous. . .What was her name. . . Utena! That's it! I gave her those pills a month ago. . .wait. . . Tomoe?'  
  
Hiko turned to look carefully at Tomoe. She had blue under her eyes, she was extremely pale, her hair was all around her face and uncombed, and her body had red marks on it that she had obviously scratched because it was itchy.  
  
She had taken the pills.  
  
Utena had given her the pills.  
  
Utena seduced Hiko for those pills.  
  
Utena just barely escaped from the fire, but could it be that this is all a lie? Somehow, Utena had gotten Tomoe to take the pills, and Tomoe was Kenshin's wife, and Enishi's sister. Kenshin was Hiko's baka deshi, and Hiko had given Utena the pills that she gave Tomoe. It was all a large triangle of people. But what about this other girl. . .Kaoru Kamiya? How was she a part of this? It all confused Hiko so much.  
  
And yet at the same time, he understood completely.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Oh yah baby, a little Hiko action coming up! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! So, you have to understand that Kenshin indeed did not kill Tomoe's father, but her father did die about nine years later because of his wound.  
  
Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
Remember. . . review! Thank you minna-sama! 


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Author's Notes: HELLO EVERYBODY!!! Wow. . . I can't believe I got so many reviews!!! Thank you! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I read a story called "Three Daughters" or something like that, and it had 2100 reviews!!! MY GOD!!! If ONLY I could have that many reviews. . . . * hint hint cough cough know what I mean? Know what I mean? * ^_~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
Oh and uh, Female Hitokiri Battousai? You ain't gonna like this chapter, but that's ok! Lol ^_~  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four  
  
When Kaoru, Misao, Megumi, Aoshi, Soujiro, Sanosuke and Yahiko had finally arrived at the Aoiya and had met everybody and everything and had finally gotten settled in and when it had finally gotten dark, Kaoru decided she wanted to think.  
  
Sitting straight on her futon in her own little room, Kaoru thought deeply about the day's events.  
  
The way Okina had greeted Misao like his granddaughter. It wasn't the first time they had met. Misao had taken to having lessons from Aoshi to be a ninja ever since she was a little girl, and it wasn't until last year or so that Aoshi had asked her to be his girlfriend. Apparently, old-man-Okina was thinking of an upcoming marriage.  
  
But with Soujiro there, Kaoru somehow doubted it. 'What am I thinking? I've got my own love issues to think about. . .' she thought. Her mind roamed to Kenshin. 'He had a wife. No. He HAS a wife. But. . . what about me?'  
  
She mentally slapped herself.  
  
'Oh what am I thinking? It's not like I really like Kenshin or anything. . .' she brought her hand to her lips. 'But. . . he has kissed me before. He said he didn't know why he did it. Hmmm. . . could he. . . me?' she slapped herself again. "Nahhhhh. . ." she said aloud.  
  
Looking up through her window to the full moon outside she thought, 'But do I love him?'  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin, Tomoe, Enishi, Utena, and Hiko finally arrived in Kyoto. "It's the middle of the night. We best not disturb the Aoiya now. Let's go to a hotel," Kenshin suggested.  
  
Enishi nodded, Utena curled up in a ball in his arms, fast asleep. Or so she wanted him to believe.  
  
The three men walked into a hotel and got their rooms. Hiko had his own, Enishi and Utena shared one, and Kenshin and Tomoe had one.  
  
Kenshin asked the man at the front desk for Advil, and gave it to Tomoe. Tomoe smiled up at him, faintly. "Thank you." She took it carefully.  
  
They sat in silence, each sitting on their own futon. ". . .Kenshin?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"May I. . . Have an explanation?"  
  
Kenshin looked down. "Hiko. . . somehow. . . revived me."  
  
"Revived you?"  
  
"Well. . . I'm a robot."  
  
Her eyes widened. "A-A robot?" she whispered.  
  
"I'm part robot, part human. Everyday, I turn more human."  
  
". . . I'm shocked."  
  
"I thought you would be."  
  
Silence.  
  
"E-Excuse me, but I think I need to get more Advil. . ."  
  
"I can get it for you!"  
  
"N-No. . . Kenshin. Let me get it." And with that, Tomoe left the room. Walking down the hallway, she thought to herself, 'Kenshin? A robot? A ROBOT? My. . .my husband. . . . a robot?' Suddenly she bumped into somebody. "OOF!"  
  
"OH!"  
  
Tomoe looked at the ground, "I'm awfully sorry. . ." she looked up. "Oh! Utena! I'm very sorry!"  
  
Utena smiled. "Oh it's nothing, just watch where you're going. I could have been a man you know."  
  
Tomoe nodded.  
  
"Tomoe?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
". . . I have something for you. . . to help with your husband."  
  
"What?"  
  
Utena gave her a serious look. "Do you love him?"  
  
"That's an inappropriate question. . ."  
  
"Do you?"  
  
". . . Yes. Very much."  
  
"Does he love you?"  
  
"I-I don't know."  
  
"Then give him this, and it'll answer your question." Utena brought up a pill. "It's not the pills I gave you. Obviously, he's not sick. But this will help him tell you if he loves you or not. Kind of like a love- potion, if you catch my drift."  
  
"Oh Utena I couldn't. . ."  
  
"Take it."  
  
"Well. . ."  
  
"Do you love him or not?"  
  
Tomoe bit her lip. "Alright. How do I give it to him?"  
  
"Well. . . a wise plan would be to kiss him and push it down his throat. . ."  
  
"Um. . . I. . . errr. . ."  
  
"Don't worry Tomoe. I'm just helping you out."  
  
"How can I ever thank you?"  
  
"Hey, what are best friend's for?" Utena asked, winked, and strode over to her room.  
  
Tomoe watched her go. 'All I have to do is kiss him. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin watched as Tomoe opened and closed the door. "You got Advil?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Very good. . . thank you." Tomoe sat down next to Kenshin on his futon. "K-Kenshin?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"May I. . . kiss you?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. "What?" he whispered, hoarsely.  
  
"Kenshin, if you are still alive, and if you did not die, then. . . You are still my husband, correct?"  
  
Kenshin nodded, numbly.  
  
"Well then. . . I want to know if you really are human. The only way to do that. . . is through a kiss."  
  
Kenshin fought with himself, hard.  
  
(GO FOR IT!!!)  
  
[But what about Kaoru-dono?]  
  
(Oh yah. . .)  
  
Kenshin could not tear his gaze away from the tear stained face of Tomoe. Suddenly, his eyes reverted to her lips. 'Should I try?' he asked himself.  
  
[No! Kaoru-dono! Remember Kaoru-dono!]  
  
(But Tomoe is our wife! Kaoru is. . . well. . .) Battousai drifted off.  
  
[But. . . but. . .]  
  
'I. . . I've missed Tomoe so much. I still love her. . . so much. . .' Kenshin made up his mind, and he softly brushed his lips against Tomoe's.  
  
Tomoe had already put the pill in her mouth, and she gently pushed it with her tongue into Kenshin's mouth. He swallowed it.  
  
It hit him hard. Like an arrow. His eyes searched Tomoe, and he laid down on the futon.  
  
"Kenshin? What are you doing?"  
  
"Tomoe. . . I love you."  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru woke up with sweat pouring down her face. "KENSHIN!"  
  
She looked around.  
  
No Kenshin.  
  
She sighed. 'What a bad nightmare. . . I dreamt he was. . . kissing. . . that. . . Tomoe-lady. But what about me?' she thought.  
  
Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she closed her eyes and tried to get more sleep.  
  
But the dustman just didn't really FEEL like visiting her that night.  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoe laid on top of Kenshin. "K-Kenshin?"  
  
"Tomoe?"  
  
". . . I love you too."  
  
Kenshin grinned, and Tomoe saw what she hadn't seen in ten years : he had blue eyes. Kenshin kissed her again, and Tomoe kissed back. Sending little butterfly kisses down Tomoe's neck, Kenshin eagerly decided to claim his property once more. 'My wife. . .' he thought.  
  
[WHAT ARE YOU DOING???]  
  
(I don't know!) Battousai shrieked back. (I can't help it!)  
  
[Why not!!!]  
  
(I DON'T KNOW!!!)  
  
Tomoe reached up to Kenshin's left cheek and stroked it. Suddenly something that felt like paper moved underneath her hand. Gasping, Tomoe pulled hard on the paper and pulling it off Kenshin's face.  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Tomoe could once again see what was hidden underneath the skin-colored paper.  
  
A long, thin, pink scar running down Kenshin's left cheek.  
  
The scar that her fiancé had given him, eleven years ago.  
  
"Tomoe?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Will you be my wife. . . for real?"  
  
Tomoe smiled sweetly, "I believe I've already answered that question before."  
  
Kenshin smiled back, lovingly. "I love you so much Tomoe. . ." he whispered, eager to fill his hunger.  
  
Tomoe nodded with approval, and Kenshin began to peel off Tomoe's yakata.  
  
~*~  
  
MEANWHILE!  
  
A song drifted down the hallway, and it woke Misao up. Walking down the hall, Misao stopped at Soujiro's door where the song was coming from. She knocked quietly.  
  
"Come in," came an answer.  
  
Misao opened the shoji. "Sou-chan?" she asked.  
  
Soujiro smiled at her. "Ohhh. . . Misao. Did I wake you?"  
  
"No. . . not really."-Soujiro frowned-"Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"No it's ok." Misao toddled over to where Soujiro sat and sat down next to him. "What were you singing?"  
  
"Just a song that I picked up during my travels."  
  
"Ohhh. . . Do you mind singing it for me?"  
  
"Uhh. . . I'm afraid I don't have a good enough voice to sing in front of you Misao."  
  
"It's alright." Misao smiled.  
  
Soujiro smiled back.  
  
"Em. . . Sou-chan?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"About. . . a few nights ago."  
  
"Yes?" he prodded.  
  
"When you kissed me. . ."  
  
"Oh. Yes."  
  
"Well I was wondering, and literally I've been dying for it since that kiss but. . ." she looked shyly at Soujiro. "Would you. . . 'talk' to me again?"  
  
Soujiro caught on. "I have not the liberty when Misao has a boyfriend. . ."  
  
"Oh shush about him Sou-chan. Please. . . just. . . talk."  
  
Soujiro frowned. 'Should I?' he looked carefully into his heart. 'Why should I?' he thought about it. 'Well. . . I have been looking for true love for quite some time now. . .' he looked at Misao. 'Do I love her?'  
  
The answer came to him quickly.  
  
'Yes.'  
  
Moving silently and slowly, Soujiro brought his lips to Misao's. ((AN: Oh YAH baby, I'm on a ROLL tonight!!!))  
  
Misao closed her eyes, but she could still see Soujiro in her mind. 'I. . . I love him. . . . . .'  
  
If only everybody else was so fixed upon their emotions like those two.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: I hope it was a bit longer. ^_^ Please review everybody! I'm SO close to getting 200!!! YAY!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! Thank you minna-sama!!  
  
CLICK THAT BUTTON! 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Author's Notes: Hello everybody! I am so sorry that I didn't update sooner. I am just recovering from the horrible disease called Writer's Block. ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Finally I've updated! ^_~ Oh and don't worry. K/T will not last much longer. This is still a K/K story! DON'T HURT ME!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five  
  
It was the next morning when Kenshin, Tomoe, Hiko, Enishi and Utena left the hotel and headed for the Aoiya, and everybody was noticing that Kenshin was acting differently.  
  
At breakfast, he had only talked to Tomoe.  
  
On the trip to the Aoiya, he only talked to Tomoe.  
  
All the time, he was with Tomoe, and if anybody else talked to him, he'd give them a glare and say, "I'm talking to my wife, leave me alone."  
  
And Hiko didn't really appreciate this.  
  
"BAKA DESHI!!!"  
  
Kenshin glared at him. "What?" he snapped.  
  
Hiko gave Kenshin an even more deadly glare. "You do not talk to your master that way, baka deshi! Hello? Earth to the baka deshi!?!?!"  
  
Kenshin hissed. "I'm talking to my wife!" he turned back to Tomoe, and smiled, his blue eyes showing so much love.  
  
Tomoe blushed. Kenshin had never spent this much time to her before. Those pills Utena gave her. . .  
  
Tomoe remembered all the times that Utena had been. . . not much of a friend to her.  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Tomoe was five years old. A cute little boy blushed at her. "Uhh. . . Tomoe? You look. . . really pretty today."  
  
Tomoe giggled quietly. "Thank you Shun-kun!"  
  
The boy smiled. "I-I was wondering. . . would you. . ."  
  
Utena suddenly barged in. "HEADS!!!"  
  
A ball went flying, and it hit Tomoe right in the head. Utena laughed, and watched as the little boy tried to help her up. Skipping over to the boy, Utena said, "Go away! Tomoe doesn't like you!"  
  
The boy looked at her with a frightened face. "S-She doesn't?" he asked in a mere whisper.  
  
Utena smiled from ear to ear. "NOPE!" she shouted, in a cute little voice.  
  
Tomoe looked up, horrified. "No wait, Shun-kun! That's a lie! I do like. . ." but the little boy had already ran away, tears cascading down his face in embarrassment. Tomoe was about to snap at Utena, and then remembered what her mother told her. Violence was not the answer.  
  
So instead, Tomoe looked up at Utena with a small little frown on her cute little face. "Utena! That wasn't very nice. . ."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well TOO BAD!!! HAHAHAH!!!" Utena just laughed harder, and skipped away, as if torturing Tomoe was the only good thing she had to do in her day.  
  
Tomoe let the tears fall.  
  
Another time when Tomoe was ten years old, Utena threw a pie into Tomoe's face in their cooking class.  
  
And then when Tomoe was fifteen, Utena stole away Tomoe's boyfriend, and then dumped him the next week.  
  
Finally, when Tomoe got married to Kenshin, Utena didn't come to their wedding when she had promised she would. Utena never met Kenshin, or so Tomoe believed.  
  
Of course, there were happy times together. At Tomoe's twelfth birthday party, Utena had gotten her a cute little puppy. The only problem was that it died the next day.  
  
Then there was the time when Utena took Tomoe to the movie theatre when they were fourteen. Of course, the movie was out of tickets, so they went to the ice-cream shop instead. Utena talked so much that her ice cream melted and fell all over Tomoe's favorite dress as they walked home.  
  
When Tomoe's brother, Enishi, was born, Utena held him in her arms only an hour after his birth. . . But she accidentally dropped him on his head. That might just explain a few things. . .  
  
Tomoe had considered Utena a best friend, but she had never realized that it wasn't the same vice-versa. Utena had always, throughout their lives, tried to ruin Tomoe's life, but always covered up for it somehow, so that Tomoe would think she liked her. She had gotten pretty far. . .  
  
. . . And Tomoe would eventually die because of their friendship. ((AN: WHOOHOOOO!!!. . . ahem. . . keep reading. . .^_^))  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
They finally arrived at the Aoiya. They met up with Aoshi, Soujiro, Misao, Sanosuke, and Yahiko.  
  
Hiko looked around. "Where is the Kamiya-girl?" he asked. He had only heard Kenshin talk about her, he had never met her.  
  
Sanosuke frowned. "She's been pretty depressed lately." He turned to Kenshin. "You had better go see her, Kenshin. She'd listen to you. I've already tried to talk her into getting out of her room but she won't listen to. . ."  
  
Kenshin interrupted. "I have no need to talk to some . . . girl. All I want to do right now is spend time with my wife!"  
  
Sano's, Yahiko's, Misao's, Soujiro's, and even Aoshi's eyes all popped out. "You have a wife?!?!?!?!?!?!"  
  
"Yes, and she needs medical help!"  
  
Okina smiled gently, his face turning up in wrinkles from old age. "Let me take her into my care. Do not worry. . . I shall help," he said, taking Tomoe into another room.  
  
Kenshin immediately followed.  
  
Sanosuke watched him go. "Wonder what's up with him. . ."  
  
Utena cackled. "Yes. . ." she said slyly. "Wonder what's up with him. . ." she roamed away from the room.  
  
Aoshi frowned at Enishi. "Yukishiro, 'what' are you doing here?"  
  
Enishi grinned. "You really didn't think that I'd die in the fire, did you?"  
  
"I was hoping. . ."  
  
"Oh really? Well, fire can't kill me! Nothing can kill me that easily!" Enishi laughed, pushing his glasses up his nose a bit.  
  
Hiko walked out of the room and grumbled, "Insane freak . . . must have been dropped on his head at birth. . ."  
  
A cackle from Utena was heard from the other room.  
  
~*~  
  
Memories flashed in front of Kaoru's dull eyes. She longed to see Kenshin again. . . he had told her he had loved her. And she had said the same. Was that the complete truth? Was it? And what about the woman he was talking to that she couldn't see? Who was she?  
  
All these things made Kaoru very sad. She missed Kenshin so much. Without him. . . she might. . .  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Sanosuke's eyes narrowed. "Kenshin is here."  
  
Immediately, Kaoru was up and bouncing. "REALLY??? WHERE IS HE???"  
  
Sanosuke's eyes fell to the floor.  
  
Kaoru's excitement faded. "What's wrong Sano?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Sanosuke Sagara, tell me what's wrong!!!"  
  
"It's her. . ." Sano whispered.  
  
"Who? WHO?" Kaoru was getting very upset.  
  
Sanosuke suddenly walked out of the door. He couldn't tell her Kenshin had a wife. The pain that would be on Kaoru's face would be too much to handle. Sano knew that Kaoru loved Kenshin. He couldn't do that to her and ruin everything for her.  
  
Kaoru watched, shocked. "SANOSUKE!!! TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!!! SANOSUKE!!!"  
  
Suddenly there came a yell. "WHOEVER IS YELLING, IT HAD BETTER STOP RIGHT NOW!!! WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE SOME PEACE HERE!!!"  
  
Kaoru gasped. That sounded like. . .  
  
Kaoru ran down the hallway. She saw Misao. Misao had wide eyes. "Where's. . .?"  
  
Misao just pointed to a room, still wide eyed.  
  
Kaoru ran breathlessly through the door. "KENSH. . ." she looked at him, amazed.  
  
Okina was giving a woman with dark black hair and dark brown eyes some medicine. Sitting next to him was Kenshin, holding the woman's hands, his eyes dark blue, and a long pink scar down his left cheek.  
  
That was not the robot she had created.  
  
That was not the person she knew.  
  
That was not the Kenshin she loved.  
  
"What do you want?" Kenshin snapped.  
  
Kaoru shook her head slowly, and then ran out the door, tears falling to the floor.  
  
Kenshin just watched her, his face etched with annoyance. But inside, he was screaming.  
  
[What is going on? I can't stop myself! That's not me speaking!] Rurouni cried. He turned to Battousai. [We've got to do something about this!]  
  
Battousai nodded, but then said, (But what can we do?)  
  
[We can fight!!!]  
  
(. . . with. . .?)  
  
[. . . Our love for Kaoru-dono!]  
  
(. . . how. . .?)  
  
[. . . Getting rid of this evil person who has taken over our body!]  
  
(. . .why. . .?)  
  
[. . . To stop hurting Kaoru-dono!]  
  
(. . . when. . .?)  
  
[. . . RIGHT NOW!]  
  
Battousai stood up, grinning from ear to ear. (ALRIGHT!!! Finally some progress in you Rurouni, I swear. . . I've been waiting for you to crack. . .)  
  
Rurouni just looked at him, swirly eyed. [. . .ororororororo. . .]  
  
Kaoru rushed into Sanosuke. Her heart-wrenched sobs sent chills down his spine, and Sanosuke remembered that he used to pretend to be her boyfriend. Right now was the best time to prove he could still do that.  
  
Wrapping his arms around Kaoru, Sanosuke held her close and allowed her to cry on his shirt. "Shhh. . . Shhhh . . . Jou-chan. . ."  
  
Kaoru sniffled. After a while, she asked, "Who is she?" It was a mere whisper.  
  
Sanosuke sighed, closed his eyes and held Kaoru tighter, whispering back, "His wife."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Oh yeah baby! Some Kaoru-angst! What everybody needs sometime in their life. ^_^; This chapter was a bit short, but I promise that I will update sooner! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama! Please review! Chibi is going for 300 reviews! ^_~ 


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Author's Notes: Well. . . not many people have been reviewing. . . which makes Chibi sad. SO REVIEW PLEASE!!! I've been updating faster! ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Six  
  
Megumi frowned as she walked over to Tomoe Yukishiro's room. Okina could not treat this woman all by himself. Hence, since she was a doctor, Megumi decided to help. She was about to reach the door-knob when. . .  
  
"HEY THERE MEGUMI!!!!!!!" screamed a voice.  
  
Megumi grimaced. "Uhh. . . Hello there Utena. . ."  
  
Utena smiled and winked her baby blue eye. "Would you come on a walk with me?" she asked, sweetly.  
  
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry but I need to treat Miss Tomoe Yuki. . ."  
  
"Oh she can wait. I'm sure you want to come on a walk with me. Don't you? There's something. . . I need to tell you."  
  
Megumi frowned, knowing that this was a bad idea, but put down her medical instruments and followed Utena out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
Walking up the long stone stairs, Megumi and Utena chatted quietly. Utena still hadn't told Megumi anything about anything important, so Megumi just waited. There was something up with this girl. . .  
  
Finally they reached the top of the hill and Utena walked ahead of Megumi, her back facing her.  
  
"There's something I need to tell you. I don't know you very well, but that's the reason why I'm telling you this. I don't want to get to know you well."  
  
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Why, is there something wrong with me?"  
  
"No. . . no there's nothing wrong with you Megumi. But there will be something wrong with Tomoe very soon. . ."  
  
Megumi frowned. "Do you know anything about Tomoe Yukishiro's illness?" she asked.  
  
Utena smiled, her pink bangs covering her eyes. "Of course. I'm the cause."  
  
". . .What?"  
  
"I gave her pills. Hiko Seijiro gave me those pills, but I'll let you know. . . he's innocent."  
  
"What pills did you give her?"  
  
"Hiko created them. He's mad, like everybody says, but genius. At the end of the month, which is only a few days ahead, Tomoe will die."  
  
Megumi glared at her, "Not if I can help it! I have yet to let one of my patients die! I don't care if she's Ken-san's wife or not! I will not allow her to die!"  
  
"You have no place in this story, Megumi. In fact, I've found that I dislike you."  
  
Megumi shook her head, "Well I don't like you! I thought you were Enishi's girlfriend!"  
  
Utena suddenly cackled evilly. She turned around. "Don't you know anything? Enishi thinks that Tomoe told him to become my boyfriend! He got a note from her. It wasn't from her. It was from ME! I wanted him to become my boyfriend, so that he wouldn't suspect that I was trying to kill his sister. . . and succeeding!"  
  
Megumi was completely disgusted. "You're crazy!" she cried.  
  
Utena chuckled. ". . . So what?" she snapped her fingers, and two large hulky men and a skinny man came out from the trees in the forest they were in. "Bye bye, Megumi Takani."  
  
The men closed in on Megumi, and she was completely defenseless. She screamed the first name that came into her head. "SANOOOO!!!!!"  
  
Utena smiled. 'Sano eh? I think I'll pay him a little visit. . .' she chuckled madly, so proud of herself.  
  
~*~  
  
Sanosuke was chewing on his fish bone sadly when Utena burst through the door. "SANO SANO SANO!!!" she screamed.  
  
He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey hey there. . . little missy. What's wrong?" he asked, as though he'd known her his whole life.  
  
Utena was breathing heavily, as though she had been running. She spoke in between breaths. "It's. . . Megumi. . . got her. . . must. . . save. . .on top of hill. . . in forest. . . men grabbed her. . .i ran. . . for my . . . life. . ."  
  
"WHAT????"  
  
Within seconds, Sanosuke was running up the hill towards the spot that Utena had described. His eyes narrowed. 'Fox, I'm coming. . .' he thought, protectively.  
  
~*~  
  
Sanosuke ran so fast that in a matter of minutes, he was on the top of the hill.  
  
"Well well well? What do we got here? What'cha want, little man?" asked a gruff voice. A huge man stepped from the bushes, a large club in his hands.  
  
Sanosuke glared at him. "Where's the fox?"  
  
"What fox?"  
  
"MEGUMI TAKANI!!!" Sanosuke yelled, very upset.  
  
The gruff man chuckled. "Ohhh. . . the little lady? She's with us. We've been having a bit of fun with her. . ."  
  
Sanosuke's eyes widened. ". . . What?" he whispered. Then he yelled, "Where is she?"  
  
Another man slinked out of the bushes. He had a rat like face and was extremely skinny. "Right here. . ." behind him was another large man. That large man had Megumi unconscious in his arms.  
  
That just upset Sanosuke even more. "Put her down!!!"  
  
The large man shrugged. "He said put her down. . . so we'll put her down." Without any emotion, the man just dropped Megumi to the ground. A sickening crack was heard.  
  
Sanosuke decided to take action. Fighting had always been his best ability. Not dancing.  
  
Moving forward to the skinny man, Sanosuke pushed his hand down like thunder.  
  
BOOM!!!  
  
A loud crack was heard, and the ground split in half to the weight of Sano's hand. The skinny man was immediately knocked out.  
  
Sanosuke grinned and pivoted to the gruff man. "Wanna be next?"  
  
The gruff man charged with his huge club. "KYAAAAA!!!"  
  
Sanosuke moved to the side, jumped up with his long legs onto the gruff man's shoulder, then brought his strong hand to his head. Immediately, the gruff man fell to the floor.  
  
The final man was not about to get thrown down as easily as the others. He charged with a gigantic axe, and it was brought down onto Sanosuke easily.  
  
Sano's eyes widened in pain. '. . .Fox. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Utena giggled in the living room of the Aoiya. Yahiko sat across the room, arms folded.  
  
"What are you laughing about?" he asked.  
  
"Oh nothing a child would understand. . ."  
  
Yahiko was up in a millisecond. "NOTHING A CHILD WOULD UNDERSTAND??? WHO YOU CALLIN' A CHILD???"  
  
Utena smirked, smugly. "Who else is in here?"  
  
"I'd say you're the child!"  
  
"I'm not the one screaming at the top of my lungs. . .Yahiko-CHAN."  
  
"Why I oughta. . ." Yahiko brought out his shinai, and got ready to attack. Something about this girl made Yahiko really want to hurt her. Even more then Kaoru.  
  
"Aww. . ." Utena pouted. "You wouldn't hit a lady, now would you?"  
  
"I would never hit a lady," Yahiko said. Then he smirked; shinai brought up and ready to strike down on her easily. "But you're no lady."  
  
~*~  
  
Sanosuke clutched his left arm that was bleeding furiously. He had missed getting his head cut clean off, but his left arm was hurt badly when he jumped out of the way.  
  
"You big loaf . . ." he cringed. "I'm the one who's supposed to hit you! Read the script, would you?"  
  
The large man laughed, his huge belly going up and down.  
  
It was then that Sanosuke took it as an advantage. Bringing his right hand down, he struck the large man down with only one hand. The man was down instantly.  
  
Sanosuke huffed as he looked at him carefully. Then he remembered Megumi. Rushing over to her, he carefully lifted her up. No head injuries, but her ankle seemed to be broken.  
  
"Rooster?" whispered a weak voice.  
  
Sanosuke looked down at her in his arms. He completely forgot his bleeding left arm. "Fox?"  
  
She smiled gently. "You saved me?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"I didn't know you could fight. . ."  
  
"Well, I am pretty strong. . ."  
  
They were silent. Megumi smelled his blood. She chuckled. "I'm going to have to bandage up that arm of yours."  
  
"It's just a scratch. . . ."  
  
"Oh stop being macho-man."  
  
". . .Fox?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"I didn't get here soon enough."  
  
Megumi shook her head. "No, silly Rooster. You got here soon enough. Just think, it could be worse."  
  
"It could be better."  
  
"Why are you so worried about me? Why should you care?"  
  
Sanosuke was silent. "Kenshin is acting differently." That was completely avoiding the conversation they were once having, but Megumi went with it.  
  
"Yes. . . he called Kaoru 'girl'. . . . Like he didn't know her!" then suddenly she remembered what Utena had told her. "I know the cause of his wife's illness!" she told Sanosuke.  
  
Sano's eyes widened. "Really? What? She told you?"  
  
"Yes she told me. I guess she just needed somebody to tell. Secrets are hard to keep you know. . ."  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
Megumi frowned. "She said that Hiko Seijiro gave her pills, but also that he is innocent. She said she gave the pills to Tomoe, and that Tomoe will die at the end of the month; which is a few days from now! The end of June!"  
  
Sano gasped. "I thought they were best friends!"  
  
"She also said that she had given Enishi a note that said that Tomoe wanted him to become Utena's boyfriend. The note was actually from Utena! She wanted Enishi to become her boyfriend so that he didn't imagine that it was because of her that Tomoe was dying!"  
  
Sanosuke shook his head because of the sheer craziness. "That's insane!"  
  
Megumi nodded, them grimaced at her painful ankle.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry! We need to get you back, don't we?"  
  
Megumi nodded, her eyes drooping at the stress.  
  
Sanosuke smiled gently. "Sleep, Fox."  
  
Megumi smiled back and closed her eyes. . .  
  
And Sanosuke ran down the hill as if there was no tomorrow. Somehow, he believed that that saying might become true.  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru sat, dimly aware of everything that was going on. Her only thoughts were of her parents.  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
"Look, look Mom! I got an A!!!" Kaoru jumped up and down, only twelve years old.  
  
Kaoru's mother smiled gently. She was a beautiful woman. "That's so wonderful, Kao-chan! Did you show your daddy?"  
  
"Nope! Not yet!" Kaoru ran quickly to where her father sat at his desk. "Dad, Dad, LOOK!! I got an A!" she giggled with excitement.  
  
Her father stooped down and smiled at her. "Wow, Kaoru! That's wonderful! You know what that means, right?"  
  
Kaoru nodded, giggling. "That means that Daddy will Kaoru sword fighting!"  
  
Her father chuckled. "That's right. We'll start first thing in the morning!" he turned grave. "But tonight mom and dad need to go to a meeting, so you need to wait until tomorrow, okay?"  
  
Kaoru frowned. "I can't come?" she asked.  
  
Her father laughed. "No no . . . sweetie. You can't come to this meeting."  
  
Kaoru sighed. "Alright. . ." then she perked up. "Tommorrow, right?"  
  
Her father nodded. "Of course. Tomorrow!"  
  
He didn't know that he wouldn't live to see the sun come back up the next morning.  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Why did the Hitokiri Battousai kill her father? Why did Enishi say 'he' had killed them. It was all confusing.  
  
And now Kenshin had blue eyes, and for some reason, had a scar down his left cheek, and only paid attention to his 'wife', Tomoe Yukishiro- Himura.  
  
A tear fell to the futon's bed sheets.  
  
Why wasn't he talking to her?  
  
Another tear.  
  
Why was he calling her 'girl'?  
  
A sob.  
  
What happened to Kenshin Himura, the robot she created?  
  
Another sob.  
  
What happened to the man she loved?  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin sat next to the sleeping Tomoe, fighting himself.  
  
He had to get out. He had to be free. What was going on? He was positive that somebody else was speaking for him, or at least that's what it felt like.  
  
Something was terribly wrong. Where was Kaoru?  
  
~*~  
  
Okina sighed deeply, and turned to Sanosuke. "Her ankle was broken, and scratched badly, apparently from sticks or something in the forest. But other then that. . . she'll live. I'm not much of a doctor, in fact I'm not one, but I can heal as easily as the next guy. . ."  
  
Sano sighed. "Thanks pops. . ."  
  
Okina chuckled deeply, massaging his beard. "My pleasure. I'll leave you two. . .alone now. . ." sneaking out of the room, the insane old man snickered as he played the role of matchmaker.  
  
Sanosuke looked down at Megumi. She looked so beautiful. . .  
  
WAIT A SECOND!!!!!  
  
THE FOX??? BEAUTIFUL????  
  
But Sanosuke couldn't deny it. Megumi Takani was a very beautiful woman. He gently pushed a lock of hair out of her face.  
  
What was this feeling in the pit of his stomach?  
  
~*~  
  
Utena grabbed the shinai and hit Yahiko with it.  
  
"Wha. . ." before he knew what was happening, Utena hit Yahiko so hard on the head that he was knocked out.  
  
Utena sighed in satisfaction. "Finally. . . you were really starting to get on my nerves. . ." she sat back down and enjoyed her view of the sunset, as if nothing had happened.  
  
She's just make up an excuse if anybody came into the room and asked why Yahiko was unconscious.  
  
What she didn't know that somebody was in the room. A smile graced his face; as always, but his eyes were narrowed in anger. He knew that this woman was not one he trusted.  
  
Seta Soujiro, the Tenken, would see to this case.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: YAY! A long chapter! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please review. . . minna-sama! Chibi feels so lonely! T.T 


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

Author's Notes: I know, I know, bad Chibi. She hasn't updated in forever. ^_^; Gomen. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama. Chibi has been very lonely and she is going for 300 reviews!!! HAZZAH!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Seven  
  
Sitting in the warm and fuzzy room was unnerving. Sanosuke rubbed his arms with his hands. He looked back down at the sleeping form of Megumi. Should he tell everybody about Utena? Sanosuke couldn't figure it out. Utena had told Megumi that Utena was planning on killing Tomoe-a Yukishiro/Himura. . . whichever one she was.  
  
Sanosuke couldn't decide. He knew he had to tell, but when?  
  
He didn't know that getting up and telling everybody at that very moment would be the wisest thing to do. It would save a certain somebody's life.  
  
~*~  
  
Knock.  
  
Knock.  
  
Knock.  
  
Kaoru put her hands over her ears, blinking away the tears. "What do you want?"  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
Kaoru's eyes opened. "Who's there?"  
  
"Utena."  
  
Kaoru sighed. "Alright. . . come in." she watched as Utena obliged and opened the door, then closed it. Sitting on the bed, Utena smiled at Kaoru, devilishly. "What is it?!" Kaoru snapped. She didn't know Utena very well, but she did know that Utena was Enishi's new girlfriend. 'That' did not suit well with her. . .  
  
Of course. . . without Utena. . . Kaoru would never had. . . made/met. . . Kenshin.  
  
Kaoru sneered at the thought of him.  
  
Who needs Kenshin anyways? He's got Tomoe. . . the ugly little bi-. . .  
  
"Kao-chan?"  
  
Kaoru looked up. "Huh? What did you just call me?"  
  
Utena smiled sheepishly. "Well, I really want to be friends with you, so maybe calling you Kao-chan would make you feel better."  
  
"What do you mean, friends? And make me feel better? How so?"  
  
Utena looked down at the sheets of the bed. "Well. . . I know about your little. . . 'affair'. . . with Kenshin."  
  
Kaoru's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Continue. . ."  
  
"And you know that girl Tomoe? Do you. . . you know. . .hate her?" Utena asked, still acting sheepishly.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened a bit. "Well. . . I don't hate her but. . ."  
  
"You do. . . don't you?"  
  
Kaoru looked down at the sheets as well. ". . .Yes. I do."  
  
"You really love Kenshin, don't you?" Utena asked, her pleading eyes somehow finding once more into an innocent soul like opening doors.  
  
Kaoru nodded silently.  
  
"Well. . . I hate Tomoe too."  
  
Kaoru looked up. "Huh? I thought you two were best friends."  
  
Utena chuckled. "Incorrect, Kao-chan. I 'pretended' to be friends with her. All this time, practically our whole lives, I've been planning a master piece to kill Tomoe Yukishiro once and for all."  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. "But why? What do you have against her?"  
  
Utena looked down, for once showing guilt. "That has nothing to do with you."  
  
"Oh I see. It's none of my business, is it?"  
  
Utena looked back up and grasped Kaoru's hands. "Please Kao-chan! I want us to be friends! Perhaps, together, we can kill Tomoe! We both have our reasons, one way or another. . . and then I'll get what I want. . . and you'll get what you want! You'll have Kenshin!"  
  
Kaoru looked at Utena undecidedly, and finally asked in a small voice, ". . .I'll have Kenshin?"  
  
"That's right. You'll have Kenshin," Utena concluded. She mentally laughed insanely. Oh yes! This was the best part of the story! It was so easy to manipulate people who are so weak at the moment. . . so stressed, hurt and depressed. . . it was so easy! Like taking candy from a baby. . .  
  
And oh boy. . . Utena had hit the jackpot. . .  
  
A frown might have been seen from between the door and the wall. Yet the same face had a smile as well. He would have a part of this story. . .  
  
Soujiro nodded in satisfaction, and ran away from the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Misao was taken by surprise when she found Yahiko unconscious on the floor. She kicked him a bit in the head. "OI! WAKE UP!!"  
  
"KYAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" Yahiko was on his feet and attacking Misao furiously with is shinai.  
  
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
  
"What is going on in here?" Aoshi held Yahiko's shinai firmly, right in front of Misao's head.  
  
Yahiko glared, then backed away. He put a hand to his head. "That girl. . ."  
  
"Which one?" Aoshi pushed on.  
  
". . .Utena. . . she knocked me out with my own shinai. . ."  
  
Misao frowned. "She knows how to fight?"  
  
Aoshi looked down with his cold ice blue eyes. "This is not good. . ."  
  
Suddenly, somebody walked into the room.  
  
All eyes turned to blue mixed with amber and violet ones. ". . .Kenshin?" Yahiko asked. "How is. . .your wife?"  
  
For once, Kenshin was soft. He told himself to excuse this as him being extremely exhausted from staying up all last night next to Tomoe. ". . .Not well I'm afraid."  
  
Aoshi stood up straight. "Himura-san, as soon as Megumi-san is feeling better, I can assure you your wife will be in good hands."  
  
Kenshin smiled softly.  
  
(OHHH YEAH BABY!!! I'M KICKING BUTT TODAY!!!) Battousai laughed.  
  
Rurouni sighed. [Please. . . let's just concentrate. . . We've got to keep these people our friends. . . not our enemies. . .]  
  
(Right. . .right. . .Geesh. . .)  
  
"Thank you. . ." Kenshin rested down on a couch slowly, like he was a hundred years old. And for all they knew, he just might be that old. . .  
  
Aoshi's eyes narrowed. There was definitely something different. First time he had met Kenshin, he was polite, nice, gentle, and humorous. When he arrived at the Aoiya, Kenshin was rude, cruel, and only paid attention to his wife.  
  
And now he was acting polite, nice, gentle, and humorous again! Is this guy fighting himself or what?  
  
Kenshin caught Aoshi's glare, and his smile grew. [Careful. . . careful. . .]  
  
(Oh com'on! This is fun!)  
  
[Easy for you to say. . .I'm the one doing all the work!]  
  
(Feh. . .)  
  
Aoshi nodded, and left the room. Misao watched him leave with concerned eyes. 'Aoshi-sama. . . . . .'  
  
"Himura-san!!!" cried a voice.  
  
Kenshin's head snapped to his left, and there stood Soujiro. "What?" he barked.  
  
[Stupid. . .stupid . . .stupid. . .]  
  
(Awwwww. . .man. . . I thought we were doing good!!!) Battousai sighed.  
  
Rurouni glared at him. [I'm the one peddling the most!]  
  
They both looked down at the two-man bicycle they were peddling. Rurouni was peddling extremely fast and Battousai wasn't peddling at all.  
  
(Well excuuuuuse me. . .)  
  
Soujiro didn't step back at all. "I've learned something about your wife."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. "What? What is it? Please, you must tell me!"  
  
Yahiko rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh puhlease. . ."  
  
Soujiro nodded, "I know the cause of her illness. Her best friend has been planning of your wife's death ever since she met her. . . which was when they were little babies!"  
  
"Who? Who!?"  
  
"Ut-. . ."  
  
"HELLO BOYS!!!" Utena shouted. She smiled as she merged into the room, Enishi following close to her. "What's going on in here?"  
  
Misao frowned. "Sou-chan was about to tell us who is planning on killing Kenshin's wife!"  
  
Utena put on a shocked face. "Really? Oh thank god! I wanna kill 'em. . . whoever they are. . . for hurting my best friend!"  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. 'Best friend. . .'  
  
Soujiro glared at her, and for once, his usual smile no longer graced his face. "Utena. . ."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Soujiro was about to say something extremely rude when his eyes locked onto Utena's. His eyes widened and his hand was immediately had his head. "Eh. . ."  
  
Misao rushed over to him. "What's wrong Sou-chan? Sou-chan?"  
  
Soujiro found his vision blurring. He had to tell them! She was a witch. . . he knew it. Somehow she had cast a spell. . .no that was too childish. But there was something about her eyes that just made him want to. . .  
  
"SOUJIRO!!"  
  
His love's shriek was the last thing he heard before he sank into unconsciousness.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Oh aren't I evil? ^_^ CLIFFY!!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That's what you guys get when you don't review enough. ^_~ Just kidding. . . REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please review everybody! Chibi is going for 300 reviews!!! Thank you! 


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

Author's Notes: Well hello there everybody! I'm sure many of you are wondering, "Is Utena a witch. . .?". The answer = No. She is not. ^_^; Though believe me, I'm pagan, I decided she is not a witch. Why? It would not go with the Rurouni Kenshin story. THAT would be TOTALLY out there. Hence. . . she just has a few. . . magic tricks. ^_~ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!  
  
Oi and uhhh. . . I'm not an Aoshi basher; if that's what you're thinking. ^_^ I LOVE AOSHI!! LONG LIVE AOSHI-SAMA!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Eight  
  
Misao's chin was still in her chest, and Yahiko was beginning to worry. 'First Kenshin's wife. . . then Megumi. . . now Soujiro? What is going on here?' he wondered.  
  
From the other side of the room, the door opened. Misao did not look up. Aoshi looked around. It was a plain room of the Aoiya. There was only a bed and a table with a lamp next to it.  
  
The matter at hand was concerning who was in the bed.  
  
Soujiro's face was calm in his sleep, though nightmares plagued him on the inside. His family. . .how they tortured him. . .the memories flew past his head so fast that his face didn't have enough time to show emotion.  
  
Aoshi turned to see that only Misao and Yahiko were now in the room. Obviously Misao was there for Soujiro, but Yahiko was there for Misao. Aoshi's eyes narrowed. 'He's concerned as well. . .The boy does have some senses in him after all. . .'  
  
Aoshi strode over to where Misao sat next to the bed. His hand went to her shoulder, but she did not react. Even when he shook it as hard as he could without hurting her; she did not look up.  
  
Aoshi sighed, looked pathetically at Yahiko, and strode back out of the room.  
  
Yahiko frowned. 'Probably gone away to meditate more. Geez what a looser. . .'  
  
Meanwhile, two others were sitting at the bedside of their beloveds. Sanosuke held Megumi's hand firmly in his, and Kenshin tried his best to stop from stroking Tomoe's porcelain cheek.  
  
Meanwhile, Utena had yet another evil plan.  
  
She sighed, sitting in Enishi's lap. "Enishi, dumpling?"-'Ohhh. . .yes you're a dumpling. . .loose a pound or two would you?'  
  
Enishi smiled. "Yes darling?"-'She comes up with the weirdest names. . . .oh well. . .she's my girl anyway!'  
  
Utena smiled dreamily. "I was thinking about this Kenshin-guy. . . Yesterday was the first time I'd ever met him you know. . ."-'HAH! As if. . .'  
  
Enishi's smile faded and his face turned into a frown. "Oh yeah. . .Kenshin. . .What about him?" He said the name with deep disgust. 'Evil little dirty punk. . .Someday I oughta punch his lights out. . .then kick 'em around a bit and. . .'  
  
"Well I was thinking about your dislike for him being with Tomoe."- 'Dislike? Man the guy detests him! Dislike is an understatement. . . .'  
  
". . .Go on. . ."  
  
"And well I was thinking. . . I've decided I really don't like him either."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't like the way he treats my best friend ever, Tomoe. You know! The way he looks at her. . .like she's some kind of toy that he can rip apart day in and day out. . ."  
  
"I know what you're talking about."  
  
"Well you see. . . I was devising this plan. And if it succeeds; which I can give you my guarantee, Tomoe will be a widow and be free to marry any man she pleases. Of course, it is not up to her to decide who she wants to marry. Now, since your father is dead. . . Excuse me on the subject I know it's hard for you. . . but now that he is gone, YOU can decide who Tomoe will marry."  
  
Enishi's face twisted back into a smile. Then it vanished and was replaced by a look of shock. "Widow? You mean. . . with Kenshin. . .dead?"  
  
Utena smiled. "But of course, my darling."  
  
Enishi's twisted smile went from ear to ear. "I like your plan. . ."  
  
Utena chuckled, "Good good. . ." her eyes averted from Enishi and a devilish sparkle shown in them. She kept on muttering, "Yes. . .yes very good. . ."  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru sat on her bed, thinking over the plan that Utena had told her about.  
  
"Remember, meet me at the cabin at three o-clock, sharp, this afternoon, then watch the scene unfold in front of you!" Utena had said.  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "All I have to do is be there?"  
  
Utena nodded. "That's right. With your presence there, it'll be just perfect."  
  
Kaoru sighed, thinking the conversation over and over again. What was Utena planning? Kaoru's presence. . . was that important? 'Well. . .I guess I'm just going to have to trust Utena on this one. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Hiko sat on the porch, taking a swing of his sake. Reminiscing was probably one of Hiko's main things to do in a day. Somebody walked up behind him. "Well hello there, Okina."  
  
Okina smiled, and sat down next to Hiko. "Hello there, Hiko. And what might you be doing on this dreary and sick day?"  
  
Hiko nearly smiled. "Just. . .remembering is all." He turned to Okina. "Drink?"  
  
Okina nodded. "Thank you," he took a glass and watched, his eyes uncovering memories beyond words as the red liquid poured into his glass. "Hiko. . .I'm an old man now and. . ."  
  
"HAH! We're both old men."  
  
Okina chuckled. "Yes. . .we're both old men now. . .and we can't fight the way we used to. The young are the ones supposed to do that. But. . .I was wondering."  
  
Hiko looked at the noon-sun. "Yes?"  
  
". . .What if the young can't fight either?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin sighed, and stood up. "I can't sit here any longer!" he whispered to Tomoe. "I need to get some fresh air."  
  
Tomoe's sad eyes watched him leave the room.  
  
Kenshin turned around at the door. "Please. . ." he said softly. "Get some sleep."  
  
Tomoe smiled faintly, and nodded. She closed her eyes.  
  
Kenshin looked down, and closed the door behind him. So many things were going through his head. In fact, every person in the Aoiya had so many things flying through their heads, that they didn't have enough time to do anything about those thoughts.  
  
Kenshin rushed the hallway. 'Air. . . I need some air. . .'  
  
Suddenly, Kenshin rushed into somebody.  
  
"ORO!"  
  
"OI!"  
  
Kenshin looked up into Sanosuke's eyes. "Sano. . ." he breathed, relieved.  
  
Sanosuke grinned, goofily. It was the first goofy grin he had smiled in a long time. "Kenshin! You said 'oro!'"  
  
Kenshin cocked his head.  
  
[Hey, he's right! I did!] Rurouni bounced with joy. [I think we're really beating that monstrous. . .thing. . .that came over us!]  
  
Battousai just nodded, eyes closed.  
  
Kenshin sighed. "Yes. . . I did, didn't I?" he muttered. Then he said, "You need some air too?"  
  
Sanosuke nodded. "Yup," he sighed a grevious sigh, then chuckled, "You'd think we were fathers and our wives were having babies!!!"  
  
Kenshin smiled as he thought, 'That just might happen. . .'  
  
But his thoughts were not of Tomoe.  
  
They were of. . . .  
  
(Say it.)  
  
They were. . .of. . .  
  
(C'mon. . .) Battousai snickered.  
  
They were of. . .Kaoru Kamiya. . .  
  
(WHOOHOOO!!!) Battousai did a victory dance.  
  
Even Rurouni was snickering. [I think you mean. . .Kaoru Himura. . .]  
  
Battousai stared at Rurouni, eyes wide. Even Rurouni was wide eyed.  
  
[Did I really say that?]  
  
Battousai look of shock slowly twisted itself into a smirk.  
  
(. . .Yup. You did.)  
  
~*~  
  
"What?" Hiko asked.  
  
Okina sighed. "What if the young can't fight either? Don't you feel like there's something weird going around?" he looked about, nervously. "And that girl. . .Utena. . .my bet is that she is behind all of this!" he whispered.  
  
Hiko looked away and nodded. "Yes. . ." he whispered back. "I wouldn't be surprised if my baka deshi was the one in the middle of all this. There's a girl falling for him this way, another girl claims to be his wife another way, there's a man who wants to kill him and hates his guts, another man who respects him more then anything else in the world. That baka deshi. . .he's always getting himself into. . ."  
  
"Getting myself into what, Master?"  
  
Hiko and Okina spun around, and they both nearly had a heart-attack. "Good lord, Himura-san! Do not scare us like that!" Okina cried, clutching his chest.  
  
Kenshin smiled faintly. "I'm very sorry, that I am."  
  
Sanosuke grinned. "We just came out here to get a breath of fresh air." He frowned as he sniffed it. "But it doesn't smell very fresh to me. . ."  
  
Okina blushed, laughed weakly and put away his pipe.  
  
Sanosuke smiled. "Ahhh. . .there we go! Much better!" He sat down next to Hiko and turned to Kenshin, "Oi! Kenshin! Joining us?"  
  
Kenshin smiled and took a step forward, when something crossed his mind. "What time is it?" he asked.  
  
Hiko looked down at his watch. "One-o-clock already. . . why?"  
  
Kenshin frowned. "I don't know. . ." he whispered.  
  
Hiko rolled his eyes and turned back around, facing forward.  
  
Kenshin sat down next to Sanosuke. "Where is Kaoru-dono?" he asked.  
  
Sanosuke was really starting to like the fact that Kenshin had gone back to his old ways whenever he was away from Tomoe. Then he frowned. "She's in her room I believe." Sanosuke looked up at the cloudy sky. "Oi. . .Looks like it's going to rain."  
  
Okina looked up as well. "That's odd. . . it doesn't usually rain in June. . ."  
  
Thunder suddenly boomed, and Okina jumped.  
  
"Or that either. . ." he muttered weakly.  
  
Hiko's eyes narrowed, and he got up and walked inside. "I'd stay inside if I were you. . ."  
  
Kenshin, Sanosuke and Okina turned to him with swirly eyes. "Huh?"  
  
Suddenly, the rain was coming down as hard as needles.  
  
"ORO!!!"  
  
"AHHH!!"  
  
"OI!!!"  
  
All three scrambled inside, huffing and puffing. "Ok, I think I got enough fresh air. . ." Kenshin muttered.  
  
Sanosuke just nodded, unable to speak.  
  
~*~  
  
Utena sneaked into Tomoe's room. "Tomoe?" she whispered.  
  
Tomoe opened her eyes. "Eh. . .?" she muttered, still half-asleep. Her whole body was aching, even though she was on a lot of medication.  
  
Utena smiled. "Come with me on a walk!"  
  
"But it's raining. . ."  
  
"Walks are more fun in the rain! C'mon, I'll grab your umbrella. . ."  
  
"I don't feel very good, Utena. . ."  
  
"The rain will help you heal!"  
  
". . .Really?"  
  
"Yes! Now come on! We have to hurry, before it stops raining."  
  
~*~  
  
Utena held Tomoe's hand as they walked up the stone stairs. In Utena's other hand was Tomoe's umbrella, held over both of them.  
  
Silently, Enishi was walking behind them, a grin on his face. 'Finally. . . I'll be able to kill Kenshin once and for all!'  
  
~*~  
  
Misao pushed dark locks of hair out of Soujiro's eyes. Tears were no longer streaming down her face. She had already cried enough tears to last her a life time.  
  
Aoshi watched from the door, his eyes narrowed. Yahiko hadn't left the room, but his mind was somewhere else, and Misao had taken advantage of that.  
  
Yahiko's mind played with him. His thoughts roamed on his late mother. He sighed.  
  
Aoshi's ice blue eyes fell to the floor as he thought, 'There's nothing I can do. . .Misao. . .'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Geez. . . what am I writing here? A soup opera? I guess so. . . * sighness * REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama! Remember, Chibi is going for 300 reviews! I will update as soon as I can. Sorry if it feels too long. ^_~  
  
Ja! 


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

Author's Notes: Konnichiwa minna-sama! Daijibu ka? Heheheh . . . REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Please review everybody! I'm sorry I left you all hanging at a cliffhanger earlier and didn't update as soon as I could. . . But never mind that, REVIEW!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Nine  
  
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
'It is raining, and raining very hard. Thunder can be heard overhead. Yes. Oh yes. It is just perfect. JUST PERFECT TO ACT MY ROLE OF A MAD SCIENTIST!!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!'  
  
Hiko danced about the place, giggling and laughing madly. Yes! He would freak out the neighbors by acting all insane and creating weird little electronic 'things' and crying out, "YES!!! IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVE!! BUWAHAHAHAHAH!!!"  
  
The 'Buwahahahah' only added a touch of insanity to create more despair and more hunger in the stomachs of the neighbors to move to a far away country.  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  
  
Hiko rubbed his hands together, ready to scare away yet another person. "Coming!" he sang. He danced over to the door and opened it.  
  
The sight that greeted him was not exactly the one he expected.  
  
He expected a neighbor of his coming to complain, probably wearing nightshirts or bathrobes with pink bunny slippers, a night hat and a candle at hand with an extremely angry expression on their face.  
  
Instead,  
  
Crawling on the ground, a katana in hand was a red haired man. No! It wasn't a man! It was a boy! He must have been only sixteen or seventeen years old. But Hiko didn't need to know the boy's age in order to know who the boy was. There was only one red haired boy who would be knocking on his door at this hour of the night.  
  
When the boy looked up, Hiko gasped to see a scar on his left cheek. It was bleeding, but it was obviously not fresh. Hiko had not seen the boy for about two years, and this scar was new.  
  
Hiko noticed another thing. Fountains of tears ran down the boy's cheeks. Hiko frowned. "Come in, come in. What on earth have you been doing!?" he asked, and helped the boy to his feet.  
  
Hiko decided this was not the time to be acting the role of a mad scientist.  
  
The boy sat down wearily on a large red armchair. He sighed, and eyed Hiko as the older man poured a glass of milk, and handed it to the boy. The boy drank from it and was done immediately. He closed his eyes and seemed to look better as his bleeding stopped.  
  
Hiko sat down in a chair next to the red armchair and glanced at the boy carefully. He wasn't sure if he should hug the boy or knock him upside the head. Obviously, the second one would not be wise in the condition the boy was in.  
  
The first one. . . well. . . Hiko wasn't a hug kind of person.  
  
"Alright. . . tell me what happened," Hiko asked the boy.  
  
There was no response.  
  
Hiko glared at the boy. "Baka deshi! Answer!"  
  
". . .Master. . ." the boy choked; in tears. He turned his head away from Hiko. ". . .I cannot say. . ."  
  
"Say it!" Hiko demanded. He was getting impatient.  
  
Again, there was no response.  
  
Hiko stood up and grabbed the boy's shoulders. "SHINTA! KENSHIN! BATTOUSAI!!! ONE OF YOU ANSWER ME!!!!"  
  
The boy choked another sob, and to Hiko's great surprise, the boy buried his head in Hiko's chest. "Oh Master! I cannot stand the weight anymore! I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders! I cannot. . . I cannot live anymore! DON'T MAKE ME!!!"  
  
Hiko's eyes widened as he gasped. "Nonsense. . . Why should you die? . . . Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes. "Dieing is the only way I can repent for the sins I have made. The only way Master, for the dead to have revenge upon me is for me to join them!" he choked another sob.  
  
Hiko shook his head. "No, Baka deshi! The only way for you to repent for the sins you have made is by living!"  
  
Kenshin opened his eyes; wide. "What. . .?"  
  
"Protect the weak, baka deshi! Protect the weak!" Hiko told him.  
  
Kenshin looked down at the ground. "I will. . . I will live. You are right. . . as usual. But. . ." Kenshin looked back up at Hiko. "I don't want to remember any of this! Please! I don't want to remember anything! Turn me into something different, use me as your experiment or anything! I just don't. . . I just don't want to remember!"  
  
Hiko frowned. "I can't guarantee that you wouldn't remember forever. . ."  
  
"Oh please Master! Please! Please save me. . ." Kenshin buried his face into Hiko chest once more.  
  
Hiko couldn't help but pat Kenshin's head. "Alright. . . but are you sure?"  
  
"Must I say it again?"  
  
". . .No. I will make sure you can't remember any of this. Unfortunately, I don't know. . . how to use you in an experiment right now, but the day will come, baka deshi. Someday. . ."  
  
Kenshin faintly smiled. "Oh thank you. . . thank you so much!" Kenshin opened his amber eyes and looked carefully into Hiko's eyes. "Promise me, that you'll tell everybody that I died. Please!"  
  
Hiko was speechless. It was all so sudden. What could have made Kenshin outburst like this so suddenly?  
  
Hiko would never know for the rest of his life.  
  
He nodded. "Right. I promise. I will tell everybody that you died." Hiko smiled. "How about I tell them that you died heroically in a battle between life or death, eh?" he whispered.  
  
Kenshin's sad and lonely face turned into a bitter smile. "Yes. . . a hero to the end. . ." he whispered sarcastically. He choked a sob and coughed a bit. He looked around. "It is late. . ." he whispered. "I wish to rest."  
  
Hiko sighed and let go of Kenshin. He was a strong man, but if he hadn't been so strong, tears would have been streaming down his face. "Yes Kenshin," he whispered sadly as he watched Kenshin close his eyes and fall into sleep. ". . .Rest."  
  
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`  
  
Hiko shook his head in shame. 'I should have never done that. Never. If I hadn't. . . None of this would have happened.' He sighed. 'I used Kenshin's body which I had froze in time to be Kaoru Kamiya's robot. She thought that she had gathered everything for him. Hair. . . clothes. . . She didn't. It was all me. . . and Kenshin. I tricked her, I'll admit that.'  
  
Hiko looked at the clock. 'Two fifteen. . .' he thought. 'I put robotic parts in Kenshin's body. . .' he suddenly started to laugh. 'Yeah right! A robot? No way! Kenshin was never a robot! Never has been and never will. . . .' his chuckling faded. 'The robotic parts that they saw before . . . weren't real. They were just fakes to make it look like he was a robot. . .'  
  
Hiko shifted on the couch and took a swig of his sake.  
  
'He forgot everything. In fact, too much. He forgot what it was like to be real. He believed he was a robot, and it made it harder for his body to regain it's warmth and real touch. He couldn't feel anything. . . because he couldn't remember. . .'  
  
Okina suddenly sat down next to Hiko on the couch in the living room. He frowned. "What are you thinking about my friend?" he asked.  
  
Hiko sighed and looked to the ground. "Old mistakes. . ."  
  
Okina faintly smiled a bitter smile. "Ah. . . I see. I remember some of my old mistakes. . ."  
  
Hiko chuckled. "Some?"  
  
Okina shook his head while smiling. "Well. . . I remember most of them. . ."  
  
"Uh huhhhh. . ."  
  
Okina scratched the back of his head, shamefully as he smiled. "Well I'm sure you can't remember all of your mistakes, correct?"  
  
Hiko frowned. "I wish I'd have forgotten several mistakes I remember."  
  
Okina's wrinkled face turned long. "Same here. I remember when I introduced Aoshi Shinomori to a baby little girl." He smiled, "I'm not sure if that was a mistake or a brilliant discovery."  
  
Hiko smiled, too. "I'm sure those two will get along. . ." he said.  
  
Okina sighed heavily. "I don't know. That boy. . . Soujiro Seta. . . he just might interfere with my matchmaking plans. . ."  
  
Hiko chuckled. "Him? Oh I can assure you. . . He's not going to get anywhere as close as Aoshi already is."  
  
Okina sighed once more. "You really think so?"  
  
Hiko looked at the ground and thought, 'It's one of my many hopes. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Misao fiddled with her hair. Oh how she really wished that Soujiro would wake up! But he didn't. . . he just wouldn't open his eyes. . .  
  
"I'M BORED!!!!!!!" Yahiko suddenly screamed.  
  
Misao's eyes widened as she gasped up at him. "Yahiko!! You'll wake up Sou-chan!!!"  
  
Yahiko snickered. "I thought that's what you wanted!"  
  
Misao put her hand to her mouth. "Did I say that aloud?"  
  
"Everything. . ." Yahiko sneered. He then said in a high pitched voice, "Oh Sou-chan! Marry me! Ohohohohohohoho!!"  
  
Misao suddenly turned from frightened to very angry. "YAHIKO-CHAN!!! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!!! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU LITTLE CREEP!!! . . . YAHIKO-CHAN!!!"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!!!"  
  
"YAHIKO-CHAN!!!"  
  
"NO CHAN!"  
  
"CHAN!"  
  
"NO CHAN!"  
  
"CHAN!"  
  
"NO-. . ."  
  
A chuckled came from the other side of the room. Misao and Yahiko turned slowly to look at the bed. Before Yahiko knew it, he was being shoved out the door, and heard the lock snap shut.  
  
Yahiko sighed. "Dang. . ." he whispered. Then he snickered softly and put his ear up to the door.  
  
Misao stood with eyes wide open. A tear rolled down her cheek. "S-Sou- chan? You're. . . awake?"  
  
Soujiro smiled happily, still in bed. "Yes. . . I am."  
  
"H-How do you feel?"  
  
"Very refreshed. . . thank you." Soujiro turned to the clock. "It's already two thirty? How long have I been asleep?"  
  
Misao looked down at the ground. "About . . . four hours. . ."  
  
"I see. . ." the answer was simple and soft.  
  
Yahiko giggled madly while holding his mouth to keep himself quiet.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Oh Soujiro! I was so worried!"  
  
Soujiro suddenly found himself being squashed to death by a smothering hug. He laughed happily. "Misao, really! Some modesty!"  
  
Misao shook her head, giggling. "No Sou-chan! I can't stand it any longer! I can't hold back my feelings!" she pressed her lips against Soujiro's.  
  
Yahiko was biting his lips until they bled; just to keep himself quiet.  
  
Soujiro's eyes widened as Misao broke off the wonderful kiss.  
  
Misao was practically in tears. . . of joy. "I love you so much! I do! And there's nothing that can stop me from loving you!"  
  
Soujiro just laid there. . . silent as a ghost. Suddenly, he smiled from ear to ear. "I love you too . . . Misao-chan."  
  
Misao practically fainted in joy as Soujiro brought his hands up and kissed her once more.  
  
Yahiko couldn't confine himself any longer. He was about to burst out in laughter when somebody grabbed him and threw him down the hallway. "A little sneak, aren't we?" asked a slithering cold voice.  
  
Yahiko looked up at the tall man. "W-Wha. . ."  
  
Aoshi glared down at Yahiko. "Tell me! What did you hear?" he hissed.  
  
Yahiko looked down. "N-Nothing. . ."  
  
Aoshi grabbed Yahiko by the collar. "Tell me now, or you'll regret it! What is that man doing with my girlfriend?"  
  
Yahiko's eyes widened. 'Girlfriend. . .?' He finally muttered, "Misao told Soujiro. . . that she loves him. And Soujiro. . . said he loves her. . ." he gasped when Aoshi let him go.  
  
Aoshi's ice blue eyes were pierced with anger. They narrowed. 'Tenken. . . taste my boyfriend-domineering-meditating-very-ticked-off- wrath. . .'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: 'Tenken. . . taste my boyfriend-domineering- meditating-very-ticked-off-wrath. . .' HEHEHEH!! BUWAHAHA! HAHAHA! . . . Okay. * deep breath * I'm okay now. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna- sama!!! ^-^ 


	30. Chapter Thirty

Author's Notes: Back for more, eh? ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama! I'm getting so close to 300!!! Help me get to 300!!! That would be ever so kind of you. . . .  
  
Oh and FHB. . . you aren't gonna like the ending of this chapter. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Thirty  
  
Kaoru walked outside; careful not to make any noise. It was pouring down rain. She looked back inside the window at the clock. 'Two forty five. . .I've got fifteen minutes to get there. . .' she thought.  
  
She almost turned back to run into the house, but she caught herself.  
  
'Tomoe will die. . .' she thought. 'And I'll have Kenshin.' She smiled blissfully. "Kenshin. . ." the word slipped from her mouth an instant after the thought reached her mind.  
  
She raced up the stone stairs, not even caring to look at them. They were very slippery, and Kaoru should have looked down to where she was going. Fortunately, luck was on her side, and she didn't slip.  
  
Reaching the top of the stairs, Kaoru rushed over to where Utena had told her to go; the cabin.  
  
"I'll be waiting there. . . with Tomoe."  
  
Kaoru remembered every word Utena had said. It scared her. Things felt a little weird. She was about to witness somebody's death! Purposefully! She wanted that person dead! Only so she could have the man of her dreams!  
  
Deep inside, Kaoru wondered thoughtfully what had happened to the real her.  
  
But the Kaoru on the outside couldn't do anything about it.  
  
~*~  
  
Utena smiled at Tomoe. "We're here," she said icily.  
  
Tomoe looked wearily around. Things were fuzzy and she could just barely make out a cabin in a clearing of trees. "Where. . . are we?" she asked sleepily.  
  
Utena looked probably as scary as ghost as thunder flashed above them, but Tomoe couldn't see. Utena smirked. "At your grave sight."  
  
~*~  
  
Enishi ran back down the stairs after sneaking away without Tomoe knowing it. It was all part of the plan Utena had told him about. He grinned from ear to ear. 'Kenshin Himura. . . I'm your worst nightmare. . .'  
  
He ran into the house, put on a frightened look and screamed out, "KENSHIN! KENSHIN!!!"  
  
Kenshin perked up with narrow eyes. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
Enishi ran over to where Kenshin sat on the couch. "It's Tomoe! She got up on her own and ran to the cabin in the forest! I can't get her to come with me! Maybe you could Kenshin! You should probably bring a katana because I saw some bandits up there with her and-. . ."  
  
Enishi looked around. "Hey. . ." he muttered. "Where'd he go?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin ran up the stairs, his blood red hair slicking onto his cheeks; all wet. His eyes were a beautiful mix of violet, blue and amber. They were narrow with anger.  
  
'What is she doing!?!?!? Or. . .' his thoughts roamed to Utena. 'Maybe it's not her. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru ran behind a bush where Utena and Tomoe were standing and heard Tomoe ask, "W-What?"  
  
Utena cackled, "That's right Tomoe! This place is where you are going to die!" she laughed hysterically a bit more; as if to prove herself.  
  
Kaoru stayed put behind the bush. Utena had told her not to come out until she said so. She nodded. 'It's going to be a long three o-clock hour. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Aoshi knocked hard on the door.  
  
Inside the room, Misao and Soujiro suddenly jumped from their comfortable position lying on the bed. "Who's there?" Misao asked.  
  
"Aoshi."  
  
Misao's eyes widened. "Uhhhh. . . just a second. . ." she quickly pulled herself away from Soujiro, smoothed out her clothes and sat down. "Come in!"  
  
Aoshi stepped in, ice blue eyes stern and angry. Misao knew those eyes. 'D-Does he know. . .?' she wondered.  
  
Soujiro smiled. "Why thank you for visiting, Shinomori-san! It's very kind of you to visit the sick. . ."  
  
"Misao." It was cold and sharp. "Get out of the room."  
  
Misao's eyes widened as she watched Aoshi's hand quiver over to his katana. "Y-Yes. . . Aoshi. . ." she forgot the 'sama' and ran out the door, closing it behind her.  
  
Aoshi unsheathed his sword and pressed it close to Soujiro's neck.  
  
Soujiro's smile left his face and his eyes widened. "W-What is wrong, Shinomori-san?"  
  
It hit Soujiro hard. He remembered then. 'Misao. . . is Aoshi's girlfriend. . .' he cursed underneath his breath and Aoshi heard it loud and clear.  
  
"So you realize what you've done, have you?"  
  
Soujiro gulped as the sword was brought closer and closer to his fragile neck. ". . .Yes," he whispered. "I am so sorry, Shinomori-san." His eyes now flashed up angrily to Aoshi. "I am so sorry, because I will not lose Misao to you."  
  
Aoshi's anger rushed and he posed to push the sword into Soujiro's neck. His eyes were wide for once, instead of narrow.  
  
But he didn't move.  
  
He didn't kill Soujiro.  
  
Instead. . .  
  
"I believe this calls for a duel, Tenken."  
  
Soujiro's eyes narrowed. "Time?"  
  
"Three thirty."  
  
"Place?"  
  
". . .The cabin in the forest."  
  
Soujiro could not back down. He loved Misao. . . . so much. . . and he would not lose her. "You're on."  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin rushed up the steps just in time to see Utena pulling out a dagger. 'Utena? What's she doing here?' he wondered. He watched her poise the dagger ready to attack Tomoe who could barely see. 'Oh sugar. . .'  
  
He ran with his god-like speed to where Utena slowly brought the dagger down on Tomoe. "NO!!" he shouted, and blocked Tomoe, and let the dagger fall onto his shoulder. The pain was immense like his body just now remembering pain.  
  
And to his great surprise, blood fell from his wound.  
  
Utena's smile slowly crawled onto her face. 'Perfect. . . just on time. . .'  
  
Kenshin looked around carefully. 'There are no bandits. . . just a girl. . .'  
  
Tomoe's eyes widened. "Kenshin!" she smiled. "Oh thank you!" her face turned hard, even though things were getting even more blurry. "Utena! What is the meaning of this?"  
  
Utena cackled. "What is the meaning of this?!? I HAVE WANTED TO KILL YOU FOR AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN YOU!!!!"  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, as well as Tomoe's. 'She wanted. . . to kill Tomoe?'  
  
:: MUNCH MUNCH ::  
  
Mentally, Kenshin sighed. 'What are you doing?!?!!?'  
  
:: MUNCH MUNCH ::  
  
'I'M A LITTLE BUSY RIGHT NOW!!!'  
  
(Oh sorry. . . I just thought popcorn is always good for soap opera's . . .) Battousai popped some more popcorn into his mouth.  
  
Kenshin's eye twitched.  
  
Rurouni smiled. [Hey, gimme some-. . .]  
  
'SHUT UP YOU MORONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened. 'What's Kenshin doing here?' she wondered.  
  
She remembered what Utena had told her. "Wait for my signal, and then you'll come out."  
  
That's what Utena had said.  
  
Utena looked over at the bush and winked hard.  
  
'That's the signal. . .'  
  
Kaoru rushed out from the bush.  
  
Utena called, "CATCH!"  
  
Kaoru turned to see a small sheath flying towards her. She caught it and unsheathed it. 'A dagger. . .' she thought.  
  
Utena nodded to Tomoe and mouthed, "Kill her. . ."  
  
Kaoru looked carefully down at the blade. 'Kill her. . .' she thought.  
  
Utena kept mouthing, "Kill her and you'll get Kenshin. . ."  
  
'Kill her. . . and I'll get Kenshin. . .' Kaoru thought. She grinned. "I'll get Kenshin. . ." she whispered, and thrust the dagger at Tomoe's heart.  
  
"NOOO!!!!" came a scream.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened as if they had just now opened. Kenshin stood in front of her, and her dagger was pushed into his stomach. Kaoru gasped. "Ken. . .shin?"  
  
"No, Kaoru! What are you doing? Why are you doing this?" Kenshin demanded.  
  
Kaoru let the tears fall from her puddles of blue. ". . .You dare to stop me, Kenshin? You side with this. . . this animal?!?!?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "What are you saying, Kaoru?"  
  
Tomoe shivered behind Kenshin and whispered, "She loves to Kenshin. . ."  
  
Kenshin turned to Tomoe. "Huh-. . ."  
  
"She loves you." Tomoe smiled. "Obviously more then I will ever love anybody. . ." her voice was soft and calm, as if she were giving up Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin turned back to Kaoru. "Is that why?" he thought back a bit. "You were jealous, weren't you?"  
  
Kaoru sobbed, "Yes. . . I thought that killing Tomoe would make you come back to me. . ." she sobbed again.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. 'Make me come back to her. . .'  
  
:: MUNCH MUNCH ::  
  
Kenshin practically screamed mentally, 'NOW IS NOT THE TIME YOU TWO!!!!!!!!!'  
  
:: MUNCH MUNCH ::  
  
'Battousai. . . . .'  
  
:: MUNCH MUNCH ::  
  
(Soooooorry. Geesh. . . what a grump. . .)  
  
Rurouni nodded. [We're only watching the show, it's not like we're actually in it. . .]  
  
(Yeah. . . because SOMEBODY DIDN'T GIVE US A REAL ROLE IN THE SERIES!!!) Battousai screamed to somebody off stage.  
  
"THERE YOU ARE BATTOUSAI!!" shouted a voice.  
  
Kenshin rolled his eyes and turned to face Enishi with a sword in hand. "Enishi. What do you want? You were all part of this little fiasco, weren't you? And you led me here!"  
  
"That's right, Battousai," Enishi snickered. "KYAA!!!" he charged without reason at Kenshin.  
  
With lightening fast moves, Kenshin unsheathed his katana and raised it to fall on Enishi when suddenly-  
  
"NO!" Tomoe screamed as she stepped out in front of Kenshin, arms spread widely.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: Buwah. . .Buwah. . .BUWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I know I know. . . evil cliffhanger. Just bear with me people. ^_^ Sorry FHB, but this was what I decided to do. Nothing personal. ^_~ Thank you minna-sama! 


	31. Chapter Thirty One

Author's Notes: Back for more, are ye? ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! I'd like to give an extra round of applause to Female Hitokiri Battousai for helping me across the 300 mark. ^_~ Thanks girl!  
  
OI! In case all you Tomoe-bashers were wondering, yes, Tomoe dies. When? You ask? Hmm. . . I've got the answer! RIGHT HERE!!!  
  
. . . .  
  
READ!!! (Oi, to make it more dramatic, you should listen to 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. Just a suggestion. . . I'm listening to it. . . * nods head * )  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story . . .  
  
Chapter Thirty-One  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened with fear, and he felt inside his heart a pain even more then when Utena had cut him on the shoulder or when Kaoru had accidentally stabbed him in the stomach.  
  
Tomoe stepped in front of Kenshin, arms spread wide in front of Enishi's attack on Kenshin, screaming, "NO!!!"  
  
Kenshin's sword would not stop. He had raised it to counter-attack Enishi, but he was so fast that Tomoe didn't see it. His sword swooped down and. . .  
  
Kaoru averted her eyes and turned around. She choked a sob. Not that she had cared for Tomoe but. . .the sight. . .  
  
. . . it was terrible.  
  
Kenshin's sword had sliced down Tomoe's back; the blood crashing out of her body. Tomoe didn't know what hit her. She fell limply backwards and into Kenshin's arms.  
  
Kenshin clutched to Tomoe. "No. . ." he muttered. "No. . . no. . . no. . . NO!!!" Kenshin screamed out into the rain. It was only now that he noticed it while looking up at the clouds. It fell into his eyes and down his cheeks. Something else fell from his eyes as well. . .  
  
'The dark of tears. . .'  
  
"Ken. . .shin. . ." Tomoe whispered.  
  
Kenshin looked down at her. He couldn't say anything. What could he say?  
  
Tomoe reached to the ground where the dagger lay. She reached up to Kenshin's cheek and brushed the dagger perpendicular to the scar he already had creating an X. Her hand fell almost limp to her side, the dagger falling from it.  
  
She smiled softly. "I'm. . . sorry. I'm sorry for being. . .a bad. . . wife. . .I'm so sorry. . ."  
  
Kenshin let the tears fall. His bangs covered his eyes so that nobody else could see them. He looked carefully into Tomoe's still eyes. They had lost their lustful brown and black tinge and were staring blankly at him.  
  
"T-Tomoe. . .? No. . . please Tomoe. . ." Kenshin choked a sob, pulling Tomoe in closer to him and pressing his face to her neck. "No. . . please. . . don't leave me. . ."  
  
Nobody said a word. Even Battousai and Rurouni had stopped eating popcorn and merely watched the scene unfold right in front of their eyes.  
  
Tomoe-a Yukishiro/Himura. . . had died.  
  
Aoshi and Soujiro walked calmly up the stone stairs in the rain. Misao was still back at the house, or so they thought. She carefully followed after them, her ninja-like stealth ness helping her along the way.  
  
Aoshi and Soujiro looked at what looked like a picture in front of them. Enishi stood gaping at Kenshin, Kaoru sat on the floor, hand to her mouth, tears running down her face and revenge in her eyes. Meanwhile, they turned to see Kenshin clutching onto what they assumed was Tomoe. They looked at her hand. Unmoving.  
  
Utena was nowhere to be found.  
  
Aoshi sighed. "Alright. . . we'll find another place."  
  
Soujiro nodded and went down the steps with Aoshi. "Damn. . . and it was such a nice clearing. . ."  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru had revenge in her eyes. 'See the way he clutches her?' sneered half her mind.  
  
The other half stifled a sob. 'Poor Tomoe-san. . .'  
  
The mean half snorted. 'Poor Tomoe-san? What's that supposed to mean!? Look at the way Kenshin is holding onto Tomoe. He'll never hold onto you like that. . . He probably was lying when he said that he loved you.'  
  
The gentle half gasped. 'Really? D-Do you suppose so?'  
  
The mean half nodded with closed eyes, a smirk on her face.  
  
The gentle half fell to her knees. 'No. . . I don't believe that! He had told me that he loved me!'  
  
'Darling. . . loved. Not love.'  
  
'B-But. . . how can. . .why must. . .'  
  
'Why must it be like that? Because! Isn't it obvious! He loves Tomoe! He never loved you!'  
  
'Never. . . loved me?'  
  
The mean half cackled. 'Of course darling. . . get used to it.'  
  
The gentle half frowned. 'You're right. How could he ever love me?'  
  
'Everybody indulges you, just because you're so full of it!'  
  
'You're right. . .'  
  
'You're just a little brat who has nothing in life but a love she can't have!'  
  
'Of course. . .'  
  
The mean half slapped the gentle half very harshly. 'Are you mocking me?!'  
  
The gentle half started sobbing right then and there.  
  
'He'll. . . he'll never hold me that way. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Enishi couldn't believe it.  
  
'She's dead.'  
  
He wouldn't believe it.  
  
'She'll never die in my heart at least. . .'  
  
He shouldn't believe it.  
  
'But I do. . . she's right in front of me. I saw her die with my own eyes.' Enishi looked over at Kenshin. His eyes narrowed. 'You. . .'  
  
Enishi stamped over to where Kenshin sat sobbing loudly. "You. . .Y- You killed my sister!!! YOU KILLED HER!!!" he screamed.  
  
Kenshin didn't look up.  
  
"Stand up!!! STAND UP NOW AND FIGHT ME!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!! I WILL! I WILL HAVE REVENGE ON MY SISTER!!!!!" Enishi shouted at him.  
  
Kenshin lifted Tomoe from the ground, bangs still covering his eyes. He turned and walked away from Enishi and down the stone stairs, forgetting Kaoru and Utena completely.  
  
Speaking of Utena. . .  
  
'Heh. . . Heheh. . . HAHAHAHAH!!!' she mentally cackled. 'So easy! It was so easy! Too easy! Tomoe's dead. . . Enishi is going to kill Kenshin. . . Kaoru is heartbroken. . . It's perfect!!!'  
  
Utena ran fast from the clearing in the forest. The rain was no longer pouring down on her head; the trees shielding her. She laughed madly as she ran through the trees.  
  
'And what was all this for?' she asked herself.  
  
She smirked. 'Well. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru ran.  
  
She ran with all that was still in her.  
  
Another leap. . . and another. . .  
  
Another sob. . . and another. . .  
  
Everything was darkness around her. Everything was black. . . and dark. . .  
  
'The dark of tears. . .'  
  
Kaoru approached a small stream in the forest. She looked into the water and peered carefully at her reflection.  
  
'Is this all I am? Is this all I am good for?' she wondered. '. . . Nothing!?'  
  
She fell to her knees right against the stream. No rain fell on her; the trees protecting her from it, but not from her demons and fears. They danced around her, toying with her heart and playing with her mind. They laughed at her.  
  
'You're nothing, Kaoru!'  
  
'Give it up, Kaoru!'  
  
'You'd be better off dead, Kaoru!'  
  
'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!' they laughed and laughed and laughed.  
  
Kaoru put her hands on her head. "No. . ." she muttered. "No go away. . . get away from me. . ."  
  
Suddenly, Kenshin was in front of her. "Kaoru. . . I love you. . ."  
  
Kaoru reached out to grab him. "KENSHIN!" she shrieked. She wanted to hold him. She wanted him to hold her. Like he had held onto Tom. . .  
  
"NO!!!" she screamed; as Kenshin's smile as well as the rest of him. . . slowly. . . faded away. . .  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "No. . . No no no!!! Kenshin please come back. . . please come back to me. . ." she whispered.  
  
Everything felt numb. Numb and silent. There was no noise around her. She couldn't hear the rain. She couldn't hear the water in the stream flowing past her in front of her. She also couldn't hear somebody snickering and watching her, then running away.  
  
Utena shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. . ." she muttered. "Too bad. . . so sad. . ."  
  
Kaoru fell side-ways to the ground, her eyes closed shut. She dreamt no dreams, she screamed from no nightmares, and ever so slowly her breath shortened more and more.  
  
~*~  
  
Okina sighed and shook his head in sadness. "Himura-san. . . I am. . . so sorry you had to go through this."  
  
On the bed laid a beautiful lifeless Tomoe. Her blood had been cleaned up and her face held a soft happy grace to it.  
  
Sanosuke gulped, holding the hand of Megumi who stood next to him. She had just recently gotten out of bed.  
  
Hiko watched with concerned eyes at Kenshin. Kenshin's blood red bangs still covered his eyes, but Hiko saw the tears that were flowing down his face. His dark brown eyes shifted to Tomoe, and then closed.  
  
Hiko left the room quietly, whispering, "Baka deshi. . ."  
  
Of course, he called him stupid at this moment because Hiko began remembering a few large facts that Kenshin had forgotten. 'The Kamiya-girl. . . where is she?' he wondered.  
  
Megumi looked up at Sanosuke. "We should. . . leave Kenshin to her. . ." she whispered.  
  
Sanosuke nodded, and they left the room.  
  
Okina patted Kenshin on the shoulder; unknowing that Kenshin didn't feel it. He walked out of the room.  
  
Kenshin looked up, his hard-core amber eyes narrowed angrily at himself. 'Tomoe. . . I. . . am so sorry. . .'  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: YAY!!! Tomoe died!!! AGAIN!!! Lol. Oi, I have no disrespect for Tomoe (I actually kind of like her, if it were not for the fact that she practically pulled Kenshin away from Kaoru) but for you people who like Tomoe-dying. . . THAT. . . was for you. (fhb: BUWAHAHAHAHA!!!!) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! Please help me get to 400!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

Author's Notes: Ello poppets. ^_^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! Chibi feels so happy. . . YATTA!!! We ought to have a party, shouldn't we? Well, THAT won't happen until this jolly story is over. And THAT might not happen for another eight chapters. . . Oh and while reading this, imagine 'Beattlejuice' when the dude and his wife are in the hallway and opening doors with different stuff inside. Or you could think of 'The Yellow Submarine' with the Beatles. ^_~ Be expecting a spectacular, angsty, tremendously dramatic chapter, poppets.  
  
This ones going to be a roller-coaster of emotions. Prepare yourselves.  
  
~memories speaking~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter Thirty-Two  
  
Rurouni sighed. [Battousai, would you please come out of that closet?]  
  
There was no answer.  
  
[Come on, man! This is no time for sorrow! What about everything else?] Rurouni realized something with wide eyes. [What about Kaoru-dono?]  
  
Still no answer.  
  
Rurouni took a deep breath, standing in front of a jet-black door. This was the closet of Kenshin's mind; the darkest place ever. [Don't make me come in there!!!]  
  
Silence.  
  
[Please!!!. . .Please don't make me come in there!] Rurouni begged. When he got no answer, he decided to take it like a man. [Very well. I'm coming in!] His hand shot out to the door-knob and he opened it, heroically.  
  
It wasn't until he saw what was inside the closet that he regretted opening it.  
  
Inside the closet, it was pitch-black; and as if the world did not exist, dark visions floated by him. Rurouni held the door open; struggling to stay in the doorway and not be sucked in by the ferocious wind that sang to him; deadly and yet alluring.  
  
Blood spilt past him, and Rurouni turned his head; unable to stand the sight of it. It was horrible. Very horrible. A scream pierced his ears, as well as the sound of swords clashing.  
  
[BATTOUSAI!!!] Rurouni screamed over the howling wind. [I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!!!]  
  
Rurouni looked around, unable to find his evil twin brother.  
  
(Go away,) said a voice.  
  
Rurouni smiled happily. [Battousai! There you are!] he was still standing in the doorway. He raised a foot to step into the pitch black world to save his brother, but the voice warned him angrily.  
  
(No! Don't come in! It'll capture you too!)  
  
Rurouni shook his head. [What on earth are you talking about?]  
  
(The darkness. . . it'll capture you and keep you here!!)  
  
Rurouni held out his hand to somebody he could not see. [Where are you? Please! I can help you! Let's go back!!! Let's go back to Kaoru-dono!]  
  
Battousai sniffled, amazing Rurouni beyond words.  
  
Rurouni could finally see Battousai. Battousai was sitting curled up in a little ball, his chin on his knees and his arms wrapped around them. His hard core amber eyes were staring blankly at something in front of him.  
  
(You go back to Kaoru on your own. She doesn't need me. You don't need me either. Just leave me here. Don't care about me, just care about Kaoru. She needs you,) Battousai said, with a sniffle. (What good have I done for her?) he whispered. (I couldn't save. . .) he choked at the name.  
  
A soft giggled reached both the twin's ears. Tomoe was standing behind Battousai. She sat down and held him closely. ~You'll stay with me always, won't you? Battousai?~ she asked, her voice the sound of pure innocence and yet behind it the taste of pure evil.  
  
Battousai didn't say anything, but instead turned to her and kissed her passionately.  
  
Rurouni watched with amazed eyes. [But. . .] he whispered. [Tomoe is dead. . .?] he looked carefully at the white, nearly phantom-like Tomoe. She looked up at Rurouni with a smile on her face. Battousai was completely leaning into her, as if hypnotized.  
  
~Oh darling. . .~ Tomoe whispered. ~You know I love you right? You love me too right?~ She didn't wait for an answer. ~Oh darling!~  
  
That's when Rurouni saw her evil smirk with fangs for teeth and bright red eyes instead of brown and black.  
  
Rurouni's eyes widened. [No! Battousai! She's not the real Tomoe! Battousai!] he took a step forward into the darkness of the closet. The howling wind sucked him in, and Rurouni found himself being thrown into complete darkness, flying right past Battousai and Tomoe. [NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!]  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin had fallen asleep at Tomoe's bedside, where she lay peacefully; sleeping for all eternity. He woke up suddenly, a scream escaping his mouth.  
  
Sanosuke and Okina rushed into the room.  
  
"Himura-san, are you alright?!-"  
  
"-What's wrong Kenshin?!"  
  
Kenshin didn't look at them. He merely stared at Tomoe's porcelain face. "Nothing. Just. . .J-Just a bad dream. . . that's all," he told him, his voice monotone.  
  
Okina frowned, but walked out of the room anyway.  
  
Sanosuke did not. "Oi! Pull yourself together! It's not the end of the world, Kenshin!" he said, shaking Kenshin's shoulders as if to really wake him up. "You've still got Jou-chan! You've still got Kaoru!" Sanosuke stopped for a minute. "By the way. . . where is she? We've been trying to find Soujiro, Aoshi and Misao, but Okina thought they could take care of themselves. Of course, as for Utena and Enishi, we figured they were out"- ahem-"Doing their own business, you know?"  
  
Kenshin looked into Sanosuke brown eyes with his own amber ones. He heard Sanosuke's gasp. 'They must be frightful. . .' he thought, monotone even in his mind.  
  
"I don't care."  
  
Sanosuke gasped again, his eyes widening. Then he frowned. "You don't care, do you? DO YOU???? YOU LOSE ONE WOMAN SO YOU GIVE UP ON THE OTHER??? TOMOE GAVE HER LIFE TO SAVE YOU, EVEN IF YOU KNOW YOU WEREN'T ABOUT TO BE KILLED! OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE TOLD US, RIGHT??? TOMOE WOULD WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY!!! OR WOULD YOU MAKE HER DEATH GO IN VAIN????" he screamed.  
  
Kenshin stared blankly up at Sanosuke, unable to speak; in shock.  
  
Sanosuke spat on the ground. "What's the use. My words are just falling on deaf ears, my emotions falling on a dead heart. If you won't look for Jou-chan, then I will. I love her like a sister. . . and I won't let her die of a broken heart, even if you will."  
  
With that, Sanosuke stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Megumi frowned at him, waiting in front of the door. "Do you really think that was necessary?"  
  
Sanosuke sighed and took a deep breath. "C'mon, Fox. Let's go look for Jou-chan."  
  
~*~  
  
'Dear Diary,  
  
Well, here I am, watching both of the loves of my life fight in a match of life or death in order to be the man who loves me. Great fun right? Uhhh. . .no. First off, I'm not wearing a gorgeous long dress, second off, I don't have a large fluffy hat, and third off, I don't have a beautiful fan to keep me cool. Well, not that I NEED to be cool!!! It's pouring down rain! Geesh. . . men. . .always picking a fight when the weather is so horrible.'  
  
Misao tapped her pen on her chin in thought. Suddenly, she heard voices and decided to actually the fight rather then write down her dull thoughts in her diary which she happened to be carrying with her.  
  
'At least I have a diary. . .' she wrote down.  
  
Aoshi nodded his head. "This clearing will just have to do."  
  
Soujiro. "Oh, alright. Even though I liked the other clearing much better. . ."  
  
"Oh shut up, Tenken. Let's get this over with so I may go home to my girlfriend, Misao."  
  
Soujiro's eyes narrowed. "I believe you meant to say so that 'I' may go home to MY girlfriend, Misao."  
  
Aoshi met Soujiro's glare. ". . .Riiiight. . ." he got into position. "Are you ready, Tenken? You realize that I will not hold back, although I have already declared you a friend of mine earlier."  
  
Soujiro softly smiled. "We both love the same girl, hence we'll both fight in order to win her love. Believe me, Shinomori-san; for san you will remain although I love the same girl you love, I will not go soft either. I intend to win this thing."  
  
Aoshi smirked. "Well said, but I'm afraid that will be the last well said phrase you will ever say." He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Soujiro, who stood at the most of five feet away. "Unsheathe your sword!"  
  
~*~  
  
Rurouni looked around himself; the twirling and wind had finally stopped. He sat on nothing, and yet he did not fall down. [Where. . . am I?] he wondered aloud.  
  
Space was around him. How this all fit in Kenshin's mind, Rurouni would never understand. A memory suddenly skipped past him. A little boy of the age of six, happily giggling and humming a cute tune. The boy had blood red hair and beautiful violet eyes. Before Rurouni could ask the boy anything, the boy had vanished.  
  
[Well that was rude. . .] he whispered. Somebody else suddenly appeared in front of him.  
  
A tall man with dark green hair frowned down at him. ~Wake up, baka deshi!~ he demanded. ~Wake up!~  
  
Rurouni cocked his head. [. . .M-Master?]  
  
~That's right baka deshi, now wake up!~  
  
Rurouni frowned as the man began to disappear. [I-I don't understand. . .]-but the man was gone. Rurouni sighed. [What next. . .-]  
  
~Kenshin?!?~ asked a soft and pleading voice.  
  
Rurouni looked around. [Who's there?]  
  
~Oh Kenshin, is that you?~  
  
Rurouni frowned. [Show yourself!] he demanded.  
  
Kaoru was suddenly sitting in front of him, a look of desperation on her face. ~Kenshin! Oh Kenshin please help me!!~  
  
Rurouni leaned forward and grabbed her arms. [What's wrong Kaoru- dono?]  
  
Kaoru let a tear escape her eye. ~You. . .Y-You forgot about me. . .~ she sobbed.  
  
Rurouni shook his head. [N-No Kaoru-dono. . . I would never forget you. . .]  
  
Kaoru shook her head in turn. ~Then why are you here?~  
  
Her voice seemed to echo as she vanished from Rurouni's sight. [Wait! Kaoru-dono!!!]  
  
~THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?. . .Then why are you here?. . .then why are you here?. . .~  
  
[KAORU-DONO!!!]  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin's head shot up as he screamed, "KAORU-DONO!!!!"  
  
He breathed heavily. "Huh. . ." he looked around, and sighed as he saw he was still in Tomoe's room.  
  
Okina rushed into the room. "What is wrong NOW, Himura-san??? Another bad dream???"  
  
Kenshin turned to Okina, his breath short. "Wh-Where's. . . where's Kaoru?" he asked.  
  
Okina cocked his head in confusion. ". . .What?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin ran up the stone stairs, in search of Kaoru. 'Where is she? Maybe she's still at the cabin. . .' he reached the top of the stairs, breathing heavily from running so fast. "KAORU???" he shouted.  
  
She was nowhere to be found.  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoe purred. She smiled at Battousai, ever so innocently. ~Darling?~  
  
(Yes?)  
  
~Where did that fool of a brother of yours go?~  
  
(I don't know. . .Where DID he go?) Battousai looked around, seemingly out of the spell for a moment.  
  
Tomoe pulled him back down with her. ~You don't know. . . are you don't care. . .~ she whispered to him. ~All you need now is me, right? Please tell me my love, that you will never leave me!~  
  
Battousai looked carefully into her eyes, and the concern his amber eyes had once shown for his brother was lost and was replaced with dullness. (I'll never leave you,) he whispered.  
  
Tomoe smiled. ~Good. Thank you my love. . .~ she purred again, and stroked his blood red hair.  
  
Battousai . . .fell for it.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: BUWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! It feels SO GOOD to be SO EVIL!!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHH!!!!!!!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!!! Chibi would be VERY glad if you could just press that cute little purple button called 'Submit Review'. Arigato. ^_~ 


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

Author's Notes: I LIVE!!! Okay, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in two months, but you gotta be kidding me!!! Do you honestly believe that I'd be able to write 32 chapters non-stop without any kind of break? Well, that was my break peoples, and the only break from this story. Now I plan on FINISHING this story and soon. But don't worry, the end won't come for a few more chapters. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna- sama! I'm going for 400 reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.  
  
On with the story!  
  
**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Aoshi was calm. He knew that the Tenken would never destroy Aoshi's love for Misao; even though that love was rarely shown. He had been Misao's boyfriend for over a year, and had known her since she was just a baby. He had held Misao in his arms moments after her birth.  
  
Such thoughts spurred Aoshi's heart for action, but he had to be calm. He would not move. The Tenken would have the first strike.  
  
Soujiro could hear his heart pump in his head. 'At last the time comes for me to prove to myself that I have found my true love! This one is for you, Master. And for you. . . Misao. . .chan.'  
  
Soujiro found that his right foot was thumping on the ground, the hand that held his sword was shaking violently, and his crystal blue eyes were fixated upon the calm and unmoved Aoshi.  
  
_'The weak die and the strong live. Remember that, Soujiro.'  
_  
Finally, Soujiro could not stand it any longer. He took a step forward, raised his sword and charged at Aoshi. Aoshi didn't move until the last moment, and Soujiro whipped around to see Aoshi standing calmly behind him.  
  
Aoshi had both swords out now. He had somehow unsheathed the smaller sword so quickly that Soujiro had not seen it. Both swords were brought down, and Soujiro felt an icy pain on his right shoulder.  
  
Gasping, Soujiro jumped backwards and away from Aoshi. 'He's fast!' he thought. 'He could have easily sliced my head off right there, but he didn't!' his eyes narrowed. 'He's toying with me. . .' Soujiro clutched to his shoulder, trying to smile, but could not when he felt the warm blood oozing from his gi.  
  
_'The weak die and the strong live.'  
_  
Soujiro took his hand away from his shoulder. 'I must not show weakness. . .' he thought, and charged once more, forcing a smile on his face, and moving as fast as he could to match Aoshi's quickness.  
  
Everything whirled around Aoshi. He could barely keep track of where Soujiro had run off to, but he could tell that the Tenken was running around him. Aoshi saw the sword in the corner of his eye; turned and brought his sword up to block.  
  
But that was not where the sword was headed. The sword cut deeply into Aoshi's leg, and Aoshi now knew where Soujiro was. He brought his sword down and Soujiro was once more visible.  
  
They jumped away from each other, Aoshi with one wound on his left leg, Soujiro with two wounds; one on his right shoulder and another on his back.  
  
It was only now that Soujiro remembered the rain. They were both soaking wet; wet from the rain and wet from blood.  
  
Somewhere over in the bushes, Misao was clutching her diary. 'Wow. . . who knows why on earth they would try to kill each other for little ol' me!' she wondered.

-----  
  
"You are sure he is Battousai?"  
  
"Positive. Believe me. When have I ever done you wrong?"  
  
"Heh. That was impressive how you killed Tomoe Yukishiro."  
  
"Thank you, but you should give the credit to Battousai."  
  
"He killed her?!"  
  
"Well yeah. Haven't you ever heard the book called 'Ten ways how to kill your wife'?"

-----  
  
"KAORU-DONO!!"  
  
. . .  
  
"KAORU-DONO!! WHERE ARE YOU?"  
  
. . .  
  
"KAORU-DONO!! PLEASE ANSWER ME!!"  
  
. . .  
  
"KAORU-DONO!!"  
  
'They seem so distant,' she thought. 'His calls. . . they're so far away. . .' She looked around herself. It was so dark. . . she could see the stars. 'Where am I?' she wondered.  
  
She gasped when she turned to see a beautiful field of flowers. 'Is that heaven?' she looked down. 'I don't deserve to go to heaven. . .I'm just forgotten. . .Why would I want to go with her? With that. . . . that Tomoe!?'  
  
She smirked. 'That is. . . IF she's in heaven. . .'  
  
She slapped herself upside the head. 'Oh what am I thinking??? This is not right!!! I shouldn't be here!!! Where is Kenshin???'  
  
"KAORU-DONO!! PLEASE. . . . PLEASE ANSWER ME!!"  
  
She listened more carefully. 'Was there. . . . desperation in his voice? Sadness?'  
  
"KAORU-DONO!!!"  
  
'Was that a sob?'  
  
"Alright. . . I understand if you don't want to talk to me. . ." he was saying.  
  
'His voice seems so much closer now. . .'  
  
"But please. . .at least let me know you're alright. . ." he mentally slapped himself. "No. . . of course you're not alright. . .I'm sorry. . ."  
  
Kaoru opened her eyes. 'Is that. . .?'  
  
There was Kenshin, on the ground, his violet eyes closed and a tear rolling down his face. "I lost one woman I loved. . ." he whispered. "Now I've lost another. . ."  
  
Kaoru tried to move herself from the position she was in; laying on the ground, covered by a bush right next to the small creek. 'Kenshin. . . he remembered me! I've got. . . to get to him. . .' she pulled herself worm- like towards him.  
  
The darkness started edging away.  
  
'Kenshin. . . look at me. . .'  
  
Kenshin sighed a sob.  
  
'Kenshin. . .'  
  
Kenshin kept on mumbling to himself in a numb state. "Oh Kaoru. . . I remember when I first saw you I knew. . . I knew I loved you. . ."  
  
"Kenshin. . . ." Kaoru whispered, moving closer to Kenshin and trying so hard to regain her voice.  
  
"I remember the first time we kissed. . ."  
  
". . .K-Kenshin. . ."  
  
Kenshin looked around as if he had heard a voice, but thought it was his imagination and went on mumbling, "When you told me you loved me. . ."  
  
"Kenshin!" Kaoru's voice was getting stronger.  
  
"When I told you that I loved you and you didn't believe me. . ."  
  
"Kenshin! Kenshin! Kenshin!"  
  
"Now Tomoe is dead. . . I have to move on. . . I love you Kaoru. . . . but I know you'll never forgive me. . ."  
  
"KENSHIN!! KENSHIN!!!" Kaoru practically leaped onto Kenshin, all her strength returned from this dramatic speech from Kenshin. Kenshin's eyes widened and he turned to face her. Kaoru smiled down at him. "I. . .forgive you."  
  
Kenshin was shocked. "Kaoru?. . . .You shouldn't forgive me. . . it was all my fault. . ."  
  
Kaoru suddenly turned very evil. "I'LL ONLY FORGIVE YOU IF YOU PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE ME!!!" her voice dropped down. "And that you'll never. . . forget me. . .again."  
  
Kenshin started up at her and realized that she very heavy while on top of him and the wound on his stomach where Kaoru had accidentally stabbed him was hurting very badly. His left cheek was hurting very badly too, with it's band-aid on top of it and everything.  
  
(Want me to take that PAIN off your MIND???) Battousai snickered.  
  
Rurouni just smiled.  
  
"Kaoru-"he couldn't say more when she suddenly pressed her lips to his.

-----  
  
"And this other woman. . . who is she?"  
  
"Kaoru Kamiya, Battousai's new woman."  
  
"I see. . ."

-----  
  
"JOU-CHAN!!!"  
  
"TANUKI!!!"  
  
"BUSU??"  
  
"MISS KAMIYA!!!"  
  
"OI!!"  
  
"ARE YOU OUT THERE? BECAUSE IF YOU AREN'T, I _WILL_ KILL YOU!!!"  
  
"HEY, I BET WE'D NEVER FIND HER. . . . SHE PROBABLY WENT TO UGLY- LAND!!!"  
  
"IF YOU CAN HEAR US, JUST SHOUT!!!"  
  
Sanosuke, Megumi, Yahiko and Okina all listened and waited, but nobody answered. Okina sighed, "I wish we could find her soon. . ."  
  
Yahiko rubbed his throat, "Yeah, I'm going hoarse! Stupid. . . no good busu. . . ."  
  
Megumi put her hands on her hips. "Maybe she doesn't want to be found. She just needs some alone-time."  
  
Sanosuke glared at her, "OR she's in a position where she can't speak! Now come on! We've got to find her!" he went off running.  
  
The other three watched him wide-eyed.  
  
"Gee. . . Rooster-head is sure worried."  
  
Okina nodded, silently thinking, 'He loves her, but he knows he can't have her because she loves Himura-san. Such a noble young man. . .' he glanced at Megumi. 'He's very worthy of her. . .'

-----  
  
Misao gasped, gaped, and allowed herself to cry. 'I thought they would just fight a little. . . I didn't think they'd kill each other. . .'  
  
The fight raged on, and Soujiro realized that he was loosing. 'I won't loose to him! I won't loose Misao!' he told himself.  
  
Aoshi remained calm. 'He's weakening. . .' he felt the pain in his leg, and several other cuts all along his body that Soujiro had given him. 'And so am I. . . this fight will be the death of both of us. . .'  
  
Soujiro watched from the corner of his eye; a drop of blood falling from his head where Aoshi had struck him.

_'Be one of the strong, Soujiro.'_  
  
Soujiro suddenly realized that the world was spinning. 'I've lost too much blood. . .' he thought.  
  
Aoshi watched Soujiro fumble around. 'This fight is mine. . . and Misao is mine. . .'  
  
As if reading his mind, Soujiro said, "I will never loose Misao to you! I love her so much. . ."  
  
"Surrender Tenken. . . You're injured too badly. I will allow you to live if you surrender but if you don't. . ." Aoshi had the insane urge to lick his sword, but he retained it and remained calm. "I'll kill you, you know that."  
  
"Yes, but I will die for Misao!" Soujiro stood tall suddenly, his sword out in front of him. "I will die for Misao and I will die as a warrior!" He smiled, but his smile that once had a pleasing and irritating look to it now was depressed and yet proud of his sadness.

_'Don't be weak. . .'_  
  
"As you wish. . ." Aoshi calmly charged forward, sword raised, and brought it down upon Soujiro.  
  
Misao's eyes grew wide as blood shot in all directions. "NOOOO!!!!"  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
Author's Notes: _SUSPENSE!!_ Oh yeah baby!!! I'm really sorry. You know how evil I am. . . Please review!! Thank you minna-sama! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Press that button. . . or else!!!!


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

**Author's Notes: **Hello everybody!! - dodges rotten tomatoes – Eheheheh. . . Yeah. I know. It's been forever. Actually it's been about three months. I am REALLY SORRY that I didn't update. I got bored with this story and I needed to work on some others. But now I'm bored with them and I've come back to this one. Yes I know, not a very smart way to do it, but it gets the job done. . . Please review, minna-sama! Thank you so much! I'm almost at 400 reviews!! YATTA!!

One more thing, I have a different style of writing. . . well, it's changed a bit anyway. I hope it's not too obvious. . . I'm sorry for changing my style of writing halfway into the story (haha, you thought it was almost done?!? NEVER!!!) but you're just going to have to deal with it. Ha ha. (Don't hurt me!!!)

**Disclaimer: **Who gives a poop!? I own NOOOTHING!!!. . . Geesh. . .

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**Chapter Thirty-Four**

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"NOOOOO!!!"

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_"I'm floating. . . it's so dark. W-Where am I, really? Am I dead? . . . It seems so. . ." He looked around himself but he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face. _

_ "Wake up, you baka!" came a voice._

_ Soujiro frowned, "Master? Is that you?. . . Why is it so dark?" Trying to make his baby blue eyes focus, he reached out with a hand to find the voice of his master; but nobody was there. "Shinomori. . . he killed me, didn't he?" Sighing, Soujiro rested his head on the palm of his hand. "Misao belongs to him. . . There's nothing I can do. . ."_

_ "No, no, no! How many times must I tell you?" the voice was muttering something about stupid students who just didn't get anything and merely smiled to make people think that they knew what they were doing. "If you don't wake up, he -will- kill you for sure! But you can't let that happen! Don't you remember anything I've taught you?"_

_ Soujiro shook his head, "But Master! Misao is better off with Shinomori. . . H-He is stronger. . ." A tear dropped from his eye. 'Misao. . . if only. . . if only you knew how much I love you. Words cannot express my feelings. . . I've told you that I love you, and you believed me; but you didn't know the truth of just how much. . .'_

_ Shishio Makoto rolled his eyes, "Wake up! Wake up now; or everything you have fought for will vanish!"_

_ Lifting his head, Soujiro blinked his long eyelashes several times. ". . .Y-You speak the truth?" he asked. The reply he got was a sudden ache across his shoulder and down his chest. Yelling out in pain, Soujiro clutched himself and gasped as he brought his hand to his face to see the deep red that had been spilled all over him._

_ "Of course I speak the truth, now WAKE UP!!!"_

---

Misao didn't care about hiding from them anymore. She ran out to Soujiro, screaming in tears; falling down upon his limp body. Sobbing loudly, she glared up at Aoshi, who stood watching, amazed. "You beast!" Misao screamed, "If you truly love me, then you would let me be with whoever I want to be with, as long as I'm happy! That's called true love!"

Aoshi's eyes widened, then narrowed with guilt as he stared at the blood dripping from his sword. ". . .Misao. . . I-I'm sorry. . ."

Misao wasn't finished with her anger, "If you're so sorry, then get your butt over here and help me get Soujiro back to the house before he dies!!" She suddenly spat on the ground, "Oh never mind, what's the use!? I don't need your help; and I don't think Soujiro would want it!" Turning back to Soujiro, she rested her head upon his chest, listening for a heartbeat.

. . .There was none.

Misao frowned deeply, more sobs escaping her as she closed her eyes. Her ventured up to Soujiro's face and she gently stroked his hair. The rain began to pound down to the ground as if sticks hitting drums; pounding faster and faster. Aoshi watched her sob over Soujiro's body until he couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over to her, crouched down, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She slapped him away. "Don't touch me!" she growled.

Aoshi quickly turned his head to the left, looking away from Misao and Soujiro. 'All I wanted was for Misao to be with me. . . Why did it have to come to this?' he wondered. 'Hannya. . .and all the others. . . they left me. And now Misao. . .' Looking up into the falling rain, Aoshi closed his eyes as thunder growled from the sky.

Silence filled the air until- "Misao-chan, you really should go back to the house. You wouldn't want to be struck by lightening, would you?" The voice was soft and painful, but Misao heard him loud and clear. Gasping and pulling her head off of Soujiro's chest, she cried and smiled at the same time as Soujiro's baby blue eyes smiled back at her.

Soujiro smiled a real smile; instead of his usual fake smile. Breathing heavily, Soujiro silently thanked Kami-sama, as well as his master. He watched Misao cry and smile and couldn't help but think of how beautiful she even; even though the side of her face that was resting on his chest was covered with his blood. "Come now, Misao-chan. You shouldn't cry."

Aoshi gasped as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. '. . .But he was dead!' his mind shouted. 'He will be shortly, if he isn't helped immediately.' Deciding to take action; Aoshi stood up and walked to where Soujiro still lay. Without a word, he pulled Soujiro up to lean on his shoulder; and, wrapping Soujiro's arm around his shoulder, Aoshi began to walk towards the house, ignoring the pains in his legs.

Misao watched him, amazed; yet followed as well. Aoshi glanced at Soujiro to see how he was doing, only to find the Tenken's eyes closed, his head bobbing as they walked along. Gulping, Aoshi quickened his pace.

---

---

- Battousai, where are you going? - Tomoe asked, her sweet voice filled with irritation as Battousai stood up, his eyes roaming to the closet door of Kenshin's mind; where all his horrible memories had been stored. He turned to glare at her; a smirk remaining on his tightened lips.

(You know what I realized?) he asked her, mockingly. (There are better things in life than just staying with one person all the time. I have friends who are waiting for me; and Kaoru helped me find this out for real.)

Tomoe shook her head, her eyes burning red with anger. - Don't say that, my love! Come back here! I won't let you go back to her! - Standing up, the ghostly form of Tomoe raised her hands, preparing to pounce onto the snickering Battousai who stood with his back turned to her. 'Tomoe' never realized her mistake until the last moment.

Battousai grunted, (You're not the real Tomoe. The real Tomoe that I know would allow me live my life with Kaoru.) He turned to growl at her, (She's the only woman that I truly love!!!) Unsheathing the katana that hung at his waist, Battousai slashed the evil Tomoe in fury. He watched as she screamed in agony; revealing what she really was.

Battousai gasped. Tomoe looked up to glare at him, but it wasn't really Tomoe. An exact look alike of Battousai stood there, bleeding furiously. All of Kenshin's horrible memories had combined together to create the evil Battousai. - HOW DARE YOU?!? - he screeched. - NOOOOO!!! - The evil Battousai began to melt and sank into the floor; staining the darkness of the closet of Kenshin's mind with blood red.

Watching; Battousai spat on the ground and sheathed his sword. (Ha. . . and they all thought that -I- was the evil one. . .)

---

---

Aoshi, Soujiro and Misao continued to walk through the forest towards the Aoiya. Voices came from their left. "Hey! I think I found busu! Look here! Here's her foot prints!!!"

Another voice said, "That's just the hoof prints of a cow, you idiot!" Fighting emerged and then a thud. Yahiko went flying in front of them. He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ohhh. . ." he groaned, "Aha! There you guys are! We're looking for busu, have you seen her?" His eyes flashed to Soujiro and a look of disgust flew over his face at the amount of blood that fell. ". . . What happened to him?"

Aoshi stomped his foot, "There's no time! Where's Okina-san and Megumi-san? We need a doctor!" he watched Yahiko nod quickly and run over to where the others were. Soon enough, they all painfully had to allow Kenshin to find Kaoru and went back to the Aoiya to help Soujiro.

Megumi sighed, "Why is it that guys always get into fights and then I have to heal them and then they barely say a little thank you!?" She snorted when Sanosuke responded, "We can't help it." Megumi sighed, ". . .Men. . ."

---

---

(On the road again. . . la la la la la. . . Ohhh yeah! I'm on the road again. . . Hmm hm hmmm hm hmm!) Battousai grinned, unable to put a lid on his utmost joy. He turned his smile to Rurouni, who watched him sing with a frown. (Is there something wrong?) he asked, obliviously.

Rurouni tapped his foot, [Something wrong? SOMETHING WRONG???] He laughed sarcastically, [Oh noooo. . . of course not! Nothing wrong, -dear- brother. It's just that you DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME WHEN I WARNED YOU ABOUT THAT FAKE TOMOE!!!] He suddenly stopped breathing when Battousai began to squeeze him with a bear hug.

(Awwwww. . . It's so sweet of you to call me your brother!) Battousai sighed dramatically. (Now if only we had a sister. . .)

Steam came out of Rurouni's ears. [BATTOUSAI!!!!] Shoving his evil twin brother to the side, Rurouni growled furiously, [Why is it that we've seemed to change personalities?!? Why is it that you never seem to listen to me when I've got something good to say?!?] Rurouni crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at Battousai.

Battousai came out of his dreaminess. (Gee, I dunno. Maybe because 99% of the time you don't say something good, so when that 1% comes along, I usually don't recognize it!!) This led into a bloody fight between the two brothers; but gentle reader, we'd prefer you to imagine two cute little babies playing a game of capture the flag.

-Kenshin smiled as he tuned out their fight and continued to walk hand in hand with Kaoru towards the Aoiya. "They're probably worried sick; we should get back quickly," Kenshin informed Kaoru, watching her smile and nod. 'Is this it?' he wondered. 'Is this the end?' He suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "There's something wrong at the Aoiya!" he whispered.

Kaoru frowned, turning to Kenshin. "Let's run then," she looked down at Kenshin's stomach where she had stabbed him accidentally. "Are you okay to run?" They both began to run when Kenshin nodded, only to stop abruptly by a slithering, ice-cold voice. Kaoru moved closer to Kenshin and Kenshin's hand flew directly to his katana.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Stepping from the shadows, the man snickered madly. "A happy couple; I think I'll ruin it." Unsheathing a sword, the man licked it expressively. Behind him, Utena smirked wickedly.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "Should I know you?"

The man laughed, "No, of course not, Battousai. So I guess I'll have to introduce myself. My name is Rafu Shunichi." He laughed again when Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "I have a story to tell you. Your master, Hiko Seijiro once had a very dear friend. Unfortunately, they both fell for the same girl named Rei Amachi. Hiko ran away with Rei to make sure that he would marry her instead of his poor best friend. Before they were married, Rei died of cholera, and Hiko was left alone with guilt."

Utena raised her chin at Kaoru, spying on her with those obnoxious baby blue eyes.

Rafu growled, "I was that best friend! My life was ruined when Hiko took Rei away from me; and then she died, making it all a waste of time! But she could have been mine!" Pointing his sword at Kenshin, he grinned, "And that's why all of this has happened. A woman fell in love with me, and we got married. We had a daughter," he turned his attention to Utena. "My little Utena here. . . We gave her a different last name so that nobody would know. That's when my wife died during childbirth to what would have been my son. I wanted to get back at Hiko and take somebody away from him that meant something to him. . ." he smiled, "This is where you come in."

Utena grinned, "I knew a girl named Tomoe Yukishiro since kindergarten, and I hated her. I tried to ruin her life all the time, but nothing worked. That's when she met you; Kenshin Himura; the Battousai, and we figured out that you were the apprentice of Hiko Seijiro. It was perfect."

Kaoru shook her head in amazement. "If you really loved Rei," she told Rafu. "Then you would let her be with whomever she wanted to be with as long as she was happy." Something told Kaoru that that statement had already been said on this tragic day.

Rafu snorted, "And what would you know about love?"

"Everything!!" Kenshin growled. He took a step forward, "I feel that I don't have anything to do with this, it's Hiko who you want. Get out of our way." He growled deeper when Rafu shook his head. "Get out. . ." his voice was deadly, ". . . of our way." He could see Kaoru glance up at him, afraid; out of the corner of his eye.

Rafu's eyes narrowed. "Fight me, Battousai."-"Never," was the answer that Kenshin gave him. Rafu took a step forward, "Fight me, or I peal the flesh off of your little chickadee." He saw Kenshin's eye twitch, and grinned as he saw Kaoru take a few steps backward. Kenshin unsheathed his sword. "I'll kill you, Battousai!!" Rafu shouted.

The two were in battle in seconds. Utena and Kaoru could only watch, amazed. Rafu; just like Hiko, was the master of an old technique passed down by generations. Unfortunately for Rafu, he was more then twenty fives years older then Kenshin; and was just a bit on the old side. His speed had fallen and his strength as well.

Kenshin had never felt angrier. Memories of Hiko flashed in front of him; his body doing the fighting alone. (And a slash here. . . and a cut there. . . and a kick here. . .) Battousai's ranting faded in Kenshin's mind.

_Must I say it again?_

'Rei Amachi died of cholera,' Kenshin thought. 'Just like my parents. . .I told Master; so many years ago, when I first met him, that they had died of cholera. His eyes showed so much sadness, but I didn't know why. He took me in; when he could have just left me out there to die of hunger. Rei had died of cholera. . . the word brought out a softness in Master's heart. . .'

_Promise me that you'll tell everybody that I died. Please!_

Kenshin quickly dodged an attack, trying to stay focused. Out of the corner of his eye he spied on Kaoru to make sure she was alright; which she was. Turning his attention back to Rafu, he tried to figure out how to defeat him. 'He needs to talk to Master in order to straighten things out. How can I defeat him without making him even angrier and without killing him?'

_Yes. . . a hero to the end. . ._

"You know, I was thinking!" Kenshin said when the two jumped away from each other to breath. "It's not me you're after, it's Hiko. And you're not even after Hiko. There's nothing anybody can do to bring back someone you love. I know this well. . ." Kenshin sighed as he stared at the ground until he looked fiercely back up at Rafu. "You should repent for both Rei and your late wife!"

_I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders!_

Rafu snorted. "You're lying. You're just trying to think of excuses because you're afraid of death!" Running forward with a loud yell, he brought his sword down upon Kenshin, only to find that Kenshin had moved away. "Stop running from your fate!" Rafu shouted.

_Dieing is the only way I can repent for the sins I have made._

Kenshin shook his head, "You're wrong. You should take some of your own medicine. It is you who is afraid of death; and it is you who should stop running from fate!" He looked down upon his katana, sighing. "Your fate is to move on; to live on, and watch your only daughter grow." He glared at Utena. "You were supposed to raise her correctly; but you were too busy dreaming of better days!"

_I don't want to remember anything!_

Utena stopped snickering. Turning to her father, she frowned. 'He was never there. . . I was brought up by my Aunt.' She rethought that, 'My alcoholic Aunt. . .' Anger surged up inside of her. 'This is all so pointless. Tomoe is dead; and I feel somehow. . . regretful. And now Father is trying to kill the Battousai and his woman. . . Kaoru. . .' She looked over at the raven haired girl who stood behind Kenshin. 'And what about Enishi?'

_I cannot live anymore! DON'T MAKE ME!!!_

Rafu suddenly paused fighting. His eyes were wide. 'He's right. . .' he thought. 'No. . . no he's not. . . of course not!' Rafu's mind struggled to come up with the truth, and it was only that Kenshin was right. 'Rei. . . and my beautiful wife; Toki. . . they're both dead and there's nothing I can do to bring them back.' His green eyes turned to Utena. 'But I still have my daughter. . .'

_I will. . . I will live. You are right. . . as usual._

Kenshin sheathed his sword; knowing that Rafu would not attack, or at least hoping. He smiled, "Maybe you should talk to Master and work everything out. Nobody needs to die today. . ." His mind strayed to the bad feeling he got surging from the Aoiya, "But if I don't get over to the Aoiya; somebody might. Come quick!" Taking Kaoru's hand, they continued to run through the forest, allowing Utena and Rafu to decide for themselves if they should follow or not.

Rafu turned to Utena and nodded. ". . .I-I'm sorry. . . I've been such a fool." He watched Utena huff. Rafu sighed and began to run after Kenshin and Kaoru. Utena opened one eye, watching him go.

'Daddy. . .' she thought. Seeing the chance to finally be happy with her father, Utena ran after them as well. The four ran along until they suddenly stopped because somebody ran right in front of them.

Dark hair and a weird tattoo on his back, the man laughed insanely as he ran past Kenshin, Kaoru, Rafu and Utena. "YES!!! YES!!!" he shouted. "FINALLY! I'VE GOT ALL THE SHARDS!! NOW I AM THE MOST POWERFUL!!!" His insane laughter echoed through the forest and Rafu scratched the back of his head muttering, "Is that what I sounded like?"

Kenshin cocked his head. "Oro?" They were about to continue running when five other people ran by them. Two girls, two tall men, a small midget and something that looked a lot like a fox.

One of the men with white hair and red clothing yelled, "He's getting away with MY SHARDS!!! GET BACK HERE, YOU MORON!!!" They all ran by except for the other man with dark hair and a small ponytail dressed up as a monk. He wrote something on a piece of paper, handed it to Kaoru, winked with a growl and ran out of sight. Kaoru looked down at the paper to see a phone number.

Battousai snorted, (Wonder what was up with them. . .)

---

---

Misao fiddled with her hands. Megumi finally came out of the door, slowly shutting it behind her. Looking up, Misao smiled softly, "Will he be alright?" She watched as Megumi smiled; so tired from the surgery. Misao sighed with relief and continued to fiddle with her hands. She could see Aoshi glancing at her curiously, but decided to pay no attention to him.

Suddenly, Kenshin, Kaoru, Rafu and Utena all burst into the door. Sanosuke growled, "What's she doing here?" His finger was pointed at Utena. "And who the heck is he?" his pointer finger turned to Rafu. He saw Kenshin smile softly with Kaoru at his side; holding his hand. Sanosuke grinned, "Jou-chan! There you are! We were looking for you everywhere! Thank goodness you're safe. . ."

Megumi was immediately on Kenshin. "Oh Ken-san, you shouldn't have been running! You're still healing! You know I was really worried and. . ." Kenshin didn't listen to the rest she had to say, he was too busy looking for Hiko. When he asked Megumi where he was, she sighed and pointed to another room.

Kenshin led Rafu and Utena to the room and pushed them both in. "Behave!" he said, mockingly to Hiko who sat chatting with Okina. Turning back to face everybody else, Kenshin frowned when he didn't see Soujiro. ". . .Where is Soujiro-san?" he asked.

Aoshi stared at the ground, "He and I fought, and . . . he's hurt quite badly." He felt even more guilt when Misao sniffed and Kenshin turned his stern gaze on him. Aoshi always tried to act superior to Kenshin. He meditated, remained cool at all times and scolded harshly. He only had a problem when it was he who was scolded. The only ones who could ever scold him were Okina. . . and Kenshin.

"I see. . ." came Kenshin's suspicious answer. Walking over to where Kaoru sat, he put his hand on top of hers; smiling. Kenshin sighed, "Then I suppose all we can do for Soujiro-san. . . is to wait."

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**To Be Continued. . .**

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**Author's Notes: **Ahahahaah. . . I know I know, kinda short and lame. I'm sorry. But I'll update, I swear I will. In case you were wondering; the part with the guy giving Kaoru his phone number and everybody running after some guy for the 'shards', was indeed from Inuyasha. The man who screamed, "YES YES!! FINALLY, I'VE GOT ALL THE SHARDS!!!" was indeed Naraku and the man who shouted, "He's getting away with MY SHARDS!! GET BACK HERE YOU MORON!!" was indeed Inuyasha and the guy who gave Kaoru his phone number was Miroku. - lol –

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll update soon; please review!! Thank you minna-sama!!!


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

**Author's Notes: **I LIVE!!! WELCOME TO THE LAST CHAPTER!! WOOOHOOO!! FINALLY, BABY! OH YEAH. . . I FEEL GOOOOD. . . . Okay, now that I've got THAT out of my system. PLEASE REVIEW EVERYBODY!!! This is the LAST chapter. EVER. There will be NO sequel, and there will be NO epilogue. No way. This is it. Finally. And for those of you who own Rurouni Kenshin on dvd or whatever, listen to the Japanese. When Kenshin says, "Oro" he actually pronounces it like, "Oru".

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, do you think I'd be writing a romance between Kaoru and Kenshin and posting it on the internet, instead of actually drawing it and adding it to the series? I DON'T THINK SO!!!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

* * *

The rain, which had once pounded outside, no longer fell. Days had passed, and the company of the Aoiya were starting to get homesick. It was on the day that Soujiro woke up that the Kenshin-gumi left for home.

Misao sat in Soujiro's room quietly. The clock made a tick tock sound and Soujiro was snoring softly in his sleep. Misao was having an inner battle, trying desperately to decide which man she should choose. She knew that she would have to choose someday. 'Oh, if only somebody could choose for me!' she mentally cried.

It was then that Soujiro opened his eyes. ". . .Misao-chan?" He watched her look up with a bright smile on her face. When she asked him how he felt, he sat up straight without hesitating. "I feel great, Misao-chan," he winced a little. "Well. . . almost great."

"What a relief!" Misao giggled awkwardly. She sat down on the bed. Soujiro put a hand to her lips and shook his head. Misao nearly burst out in tears right then and there, "But Sou-chan. . ."

"No," Soujiro told her. "I have been thinking in my dreams about our predicament." He took a deep breath, "I am a wanderer, Misao. I became a wanderer to search for true love. I thought I had found it, but in order for love to be true, it must work both ways. My love for you is true, but you have already fallen in love with Shinomori-san. I cannot break that love. Therefore, I will continue on my journey with you always in my heart."

Misao was shaking her head through the entire speech. "No, Sou-chan. You are wrong! You're wrong!" She continued to sob and Soujiro could only watch her, holding her hand in his.

From the door, Okina watched them with an expression of utmost relief, sadness, and joy, all at the same time. He turned to glance at Kenshin, who sat at the table in the dinning room. "Well, I think everything is going to turn out alright." He slowly sat down next to Kenshin. "Are you sure I can't drive you home? Or call a taxi for you?"

Kenshin smiled, "No, no. The train will do quite well. It's much better than running the entire way, that it is."

(That it is,) Battousai mimicked with a sour face.

"If you say so. . . I remember back in my day when the. . ." Okina went on and on about what happened to him when he was Kenshin's age but Kenshin didn't pay special attention. He was too busy spying on Kaoru, who stood outside on the porch with Megumi. They were chattering about something extremely girly, and Yahiko didn't fail to mention it when he walked by.

"Busu can wear blue at her wedding for all I care," he snorted. "It's not like she's going to get any guy to fall in love with her any time soon," he cackled at the thought until he was bonked on the head with a stick, which Kaoru had picked up from. . . somewhere. . .

Kenshin blinked at the word 'wedding'. "Oro. . ." he whispered. 'Wedding? Married? Love?' the three words rang in his ear. That's when he realized exactly what he wanted to do. Or at least ask. . .

(I'll ask, that I will. . .) Battousai mimicked once more with a humph.

-"Himura-san, are you listening to me?" Okina asked, waving a hand in front of Kenshin's face. Kenshin simply continued to stare at Kaoru, thoughts of just how beautiful she looked in the sunlight skipping through his head. Okina sighed and thoughtfully wondered what kind of thoughts Kenshin was thinking, but decided that he better not venture there.

Yahiko grinned knowingly as he walked past Kenshin.

Sanosuke stepped into the room, "Oi, Kenshin. The train is going to leave without us if we don't hurry up!" He watched as Kenshin smiled at him and stood up. "Oi, Fox! Your huge bag is in the front and I ain't carrying it!" Sanosuke called to Megumi. She stuck her tongue out at him and he smiled, "Oh, no thanks. I use toilet paper."

Kenshin poked his head into Soujiro's room. "Misao-san, we're leaving soon. Be sure to get all of your stuff ready." Pulling his head back out of the room, he noticed Aoshi standing next to him. Kenshin's silly-composure vanished and he gave Aoshi a hard look that meant 'You better stand up and be a man'. Kenshin turned around and walked down the hallway. He poked his red covered head into Hiko's room, which was full of laughter, "Master, the train is leaving soon and I know you don't like long goodbye's so I'm saying goodbye now. Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Rafu-san?"

Rafu grinned at him, "I'm sure. Utena and I are going to live here in Kyoto. Somewhere close to Hiko." He smiled at his newly found friend.

Hiko looked up at his stupid apprentice. "I'll see you later, baka deshi."

Unbeknownst to everybody else in the room, Utena was whispering to somebody at the window. Enishi smiled, "You mean, you really do love me?" He watched Utena smile back at him and they kissed.

"Of course. . ." Utena told him, and she truly meant it.

Kenshin nodded with a smile and walked back down the hallway. Everybody was there, waiting. Sanosuke, with his deep voice, said, "Um, is there even going to be a Tokyo to come back to? Didn't it burn down?"

Megumi whacked him upside the head. "Not all of it you idiot! Kaoru bought a new apartment in the part of town which didn't burn down. She's letting us all stay there until we buy our own homes. Isn't she nice? . . .even though she's still a tanuki-girl. . .Ohohohoho!" the expression upon Kaoru's face of dislike made Megumi laugh.

Kenshin smiled at Kaoru, his violet eyes warm with love. The train ride seemed to last forever and yet it felt like a moment later and the Kenshin-gumi were walking down the street towards the new apartment. The river flowed happily next to the road. Kenshin stopped walking to peer down at it, staring at his own reflection.

Out of corner of his eye he saw Aoshi and Misao talking, and he secretly smiled at the expression Misao had on her face. It was that of love. 'So she finally realized who she really loves. I suppose Soujiro must have talked to her more than I had overheard,' he thought.

-Soujiro sneezed, coughing out the tea he had been drinking. The waitress of the restaurant he was at blinked at him and he blinked back. She smiled.

Kenshin felt a presence near him. He turned to see Kaoru standing next to him. "See that little fish, Kaoru-dono?" he asked her, pointing into the river. "It looks different than the others but it's swimming just as fast." He decided to get to the point, "Kaoru-dono, over the past few days, I've talked to Hiko. I'm not really a robot. I'm human. Ten years ago, when I was the Hitokiri Battousai, I couldn't go on. I let Hiko use my body in his experiments. I can't tell you everything, Kaoru-dono but. . ."

(Some time while I'm still young please. . .) Battousai grumbled.

Rurouni merely smiled, To be married to Kaoru-dono. . . His voice drifted on as he dreamt of the possibilities.

Kenshin raised his hand to her cheek. "I can tell you that I love you. I'd die for you. . . Kaoru. . .so please. . ." he gulped as he tried so hard to get the question out. He saw Kaoru cock her head in confusion.

Kaoru silently licked her lips and stared deeply into Kenshin's violet eyes. 'If you ask me Kenshin, I'll say yes. Yes! Oh please ask me!' she screamed mentally. She continued to stare into his eyes. 'What is going on behind those violet eyes?' she wondered. Kenshin suddenly dropped down to one knee and held Kaoru hand tightly in his.

Kenshin took in a deep breath, "Kaoru. . . will you marry me?"

* * *

-Owari-

-The end-

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The end! Please review minna-sama! I had such fun writing this! I'm sorry if this chapter was slightly short. . .and I'm also sorry that it was kinda rushed. I tried really hard not to make it seem rushed though I'm sure it was. I'm also sure you're all wondering whatever became of Enishi and Utena, and Misao and Aoshi. That is for YOU to decide. Thank you to all my loyal fans and my not-so-loyal-fans-who-occasionally-bash. I love all you guys so much! (hugs and kisses) Thank you!

* * *

No one knows what it's like 

To be the bad man 

To be the sad man 

Behind **violet **eyes 

No one knows what it's like 

To be hated 

To be fated 

To telling only lies 

But my dreams 

They aren't as empty 

As my conscience seems to be 

I have hours, only lonely 

My love is vengeance 

That's never free 

No one knows what it's like 

To feel these feelings 

Like I do 

And I blame you 

No one bites back as hard 

On their anger 

None of my pain and woe 

Can show through 

But my dreams 

They aren't as empty 

As my conscience seems to be 

I have hours, only lonely 

My love is vengeance 

That's never free 

When my fist clenches, crack it open 

Before I use it and lose my cool 

When I smile, tell me some bad news 

Before I laugh and act like a fool 

If I swallow anything evil 

Put your finger down my throat 

If I shiver, please give me a blanket 

Keep me warm, let me wear your coat 

No one knows what it's like 

To be the bad man 

To be the sad man 

_Behind **violet **eyes_


End file.
